Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-18

some one knocked down q rickety hof above
the mantelpiece, RhictrIwas covered with old
letters, medicine phiala; dusty newspaper scraps
and other worthless rubbish. quarter of an
hour later one of the heirs, girl of six years,
was seated on the floor 10 pile Of bank notes,
| to which she had vainly attempted to call her
mothers attention on sccount of their pretty
pictures.
''That 'concealer' wassthe only really deep one
l ever knew. The lady paid a high compliment
to the gentleman's aeuteness when she re-
marked: why. no one would ever have thought
of looking up there for money!"
Climbing the Air.
Richard Jefferies, in St James Gazette
Two hawks come over the trees, and, ap-
preaching each other, rise higher into the air.
They wheel about for little without any ap-
parent design, still rising. when one ceases to
beat the air with his wings. stretches them to
their full length. and seems to lean aside. His
| impetus carries him forward and upward, at the
same time in circle. something like skater on
one foot. Revolving round acenter, he rises in a
spiral, perhaps hundred yards across, screw
ing upward, and at each turn ascending half
the diameter of the spiral. When he begins
this 1t appears perfectly natural. and nothing
more than would necessarily result if the wings
were held outstretched and one edge of the
plane Slightly elevated. The impulse of pre-
vious flight. the beat of strong pinions, and the
| swing and rush of the bird evidently suffice for
| two or three possibly for four or five, winding
| movements. But the time comes when begin
to be puzzled at the continuation of this strange
-, upward movement. But whatever my specu-
| lations about the exhaustion of original inn
petus. the pull of gravitaton and the rest OF it,
| up goes the hawk, round and round like wood
pecker climbing tree; only the hawk has
| nothing tangible into which to stick his claws
and to rest his tail against Those winding
circles must surely cease; his own weight alone
| must stop them. and those wide wings out
| stretched must check him. Instead of which.
the hawk rises as easily as at first, and without
| the slightest efort-no beat of wing or flutter,
without even slip or jerk, easily round and
| round. His companion does the same. often,
perhaps always, revolving the opposite way. so
| as to face the first. 1t is fascinating motion
| to watch.
The graceful, sweeping curl holds the eye: it
is line of beauty, and draws the glance up into
| the heights OF the air. The darker upper part
of one is usually visible at the same time as the
lighter under part of the other, and as the dark
wheels again the sunlight CLEANS on the breast
and underlying. Sometimes they take regular
curves. ascending in an equal degree with each;
| each curve representing an equal height gained
perpendicuiarly. Sometimes they sweep round
in wide circles, scarcely ascending at ALL
Again, suddenly one will shoot up almost per-
pendicularly. Immediately followed by the other.
Then they will resume the regular ascent. Up,
like the woodpccker round tree, till now the
level of the rainy scud which hurries over in wet
weather has long been past; up till to the eye it
looks as If they must soon attain to the f1ecks
are in reality far from that elevation; but their
true height is none the less wonderful. Rest
ing on the sward, l have watched them go up
like this through a lovely morning at most
sphere till they seemed about to actually enter
the blue. till they were smaller In appearance
than larks at their highest ascent, till the head
had to be thrown right back to see them. This
last circumstance shows how perpendiculary
they ascend winding round a line drawn straight
up: At their very highest they are hardly
visible, except when the underlying and breast
passes and CLEANS in the light.
All this is accomplished with outstretched
wings held at full length; without flap or beat,
or any apparent renewal of the original impetus.
II you take flat stone and throw it SO that it
will spn it will 60 some way straight. then rise.
turn aside, describe half-circle and fall. If
the impetus kept in it would soar like the
hawk but this does not happen. A boomerang
acts much in the same manner, only more per-
fcctly; yet, however fOrcibly thrown, the us
up his utmost speed, suddenly stands on one
foot. and describes several circles but in two
minutes comes to standstill, unless he
"screws, -" or works his skate. and so renews the
impulse. Even at his best he only goes round.
and does not raise his weight an inch from the
ice. The friction of the air soon causes the We
locity of bullet shot from rifle to decrease,
and the pull ofgravitation after short distance
drags at an express ball driven by an extra
charge. When these facts are duly considered
it will soon be apparent what remarkable feat
soaring really is. The hawk does not ascend
in spiral but every now and then revolves in
circle-a fiat circle-and suddenly shoots up
with renewed rapldity. Whether this be merely
spOrtive wantOnnesS or whether 1t is a neces-
sity is impossible to determine; but to me it does
not appear as if the hawk did it from necessity.
1t has more the appearance of variation. Just as
you or might walk fast at one moment and
slowly at another now this side of the street
and now the other. shifting of the plane of
the wings would, however, in all probability
give some Impetus the question is. would it be
sufficient? have seen hawks 90 up In sunny
and lovely weather-in fact they seem to prefer
still, calm weather: but, considering the height
to which they attain. no one can positively as
sert that they do or do not utilize current. If
they do, they may be said to sail Ga hawks
wings are technically his sails) round half the
circle with the wind fair and behind, and then
meet 1t the other half of the turn, using the i'm
petus they have gained to surmount the breeze
as they breast it. Granting this mechanical as
sistance. it still remains wonderful feat since
the incest adjustment must be necessary to get
the impetus sufficient to carry the birds over the
resistance They do not drift, or very little
My own impression is that hawk can soar in a
perfectly still atmosphere If there is awind he
uses it; but 1t rs quite as much an impeachment
as an aid. If there is no wind he goes up with
the greater ease and to the greater height. and
VIII Va CtlOICC SOdI III d Cdltu 1ue SpoCtdClc Vi
a weight-for, of course, the hawk has an APP
preciable weight apparently lifting itself in the
face of gravitatiOn and overcoming friction, is
very striking one. When an autumn leaf
parts on still day from the twig it often ro-
tates and travels some distance from the tree
falling reluctantly and with pauses and delays
in the air. 1t is conceivable that if the leaf
were animated and could guide its rotation, it
might retard its fall for considerable period of
time, or even rise higher than the tree.
Daring Rescue by a Coast Guardsman.
From the London Telegraph.
Last evening. at Perranporth. near Truro, the
driver of a wagonette party wandering on the
beach found his retreat cut off by the tide He
essayed to climb the cliffs. but when half way up
he found progress impossible and descent GER
tainly fatal. The ledge on which he was sup
ported would only give space for one foot, and
the ground to which he chung above was loose
and crumbling. For some hours he endured
this suspense when the visitors deserted him
from above. The news spread and crowd con-
gregated but none dared venture along the
slight ledge by which alone the man cOrld ne