New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-03-15
Wonderful Strength Of Insects.
Measuring the Movements Of Flys Wings, and the Power
Of an Ant,

Measuring the Movements o. E1ys Wings and tho Power
Of an Ant.
If you want to see MUSCLE" a natu-
ralist said, stake a glance through this
glass;" pointing to a seat before pow
erful microscope. The drop of Croton
water was fairly alive with little round
or oval bodies. There was nothing
specially remarkable about them; but
soon wonderful creature rolled upon
the scene from a distant part of the
drop. In appearance it resembled crys-
tai bell. The edges were ornamented
with delicate fringe, and the entire
mass was as transparent as glass. The
mouth of the bell was evidently the
mouth of the animal, because the observ-
er saw it rush along like scoop, and,
turning down, fasten it's edges to the
bottom, as if to secure some minute ami
NAL that was resisting, and a second later
some object could be seen passing up
into the body.
IF you had the strength of that ami
NAL" the naturalist said, ''in proper
ton to your size, you could take Trinity
Church by its steeple and toss it over
into New Jersey. There are animals in
this drop that we can't see with this pow
erful glass. Suppose there was this same
difference in size among the higher ami
mails. Elephants would be as large as
the State of Rhode Island. If this bell ami
NAL was as much larger than man as it
is than these little creatures it is eating,
we would see a gigantic scoop of jelly,
larger than the Forty street
reservoir. coming down on us, whirling
in the water and causing such suction,
that regiment of men would, if in the
water, be hurled and twisted and then
encompassed by it. The strength of the
creature can be imagined when it is
known that the smallest section of the
finest hair that could be cut seemed like
mountain beside it: yet the micro
scopic creature moved the end of an en-
tire hair placed over the glass. In NOV
ing about it threw aside bits of alge and
mud. That could be compared to the
act of a single man striking down one
of the giant trees of California or kick
ing over block of houses. I am devils
Ing an instrument to measure the power
of these microscopic giants. You see
among the lot there are always num-
Der that seem, from no special cause, to
be in great terror, rushing about wildly,
stopping at nothing, passing through
masses of weed and mud in direct lines.
Now, the force with which they bring
up against a barrier is certainly the
maximum of their strength; 50 arrang-
ed a machine after the plan of one that
have seen to measure the velocity of a
shot, the latter striking frame, and
the force of the blow being recorded on
scale. For my partition took what
was evidently the egg shell or cover of
some microscopic animal. I attached
it by one end to a larger body, and the
whole thing stood over delicate scale
that was cut on the glass slide, and as
the animals rushed along they struck
the partition or hand and pushed it
around the scale.''
''What was the result?''
swell, to tell the truth, the first one
that came along broke down the parti-
ton, and ] haven't been able to adjust
it again. When do I'll let you know.
haven sold any stock yet, and haven't
even applied for patent, SO the general
public won't suffer. I have in hand an
other instrument with which I intend to
measure the movements of the wings
and legs of insects per minute and
second, and I think they can be photo
graphed as well as the feet Of . trotter
while in motion. This win be fine work,
% with q simple instrument I have
shown that the wings Of 3 common