The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1900-05-29
THE FACULTY ORLIGHT
4 PROBLEM THAT MAY SOLVED
BY THE elRD.ANAT. ST.
rh.re May lie pr,nciple. ). II aue..ed

of Bird-FiiGht-rhe Mnsduh- po,rer OF
WiuE--Grent Endurance t.Nuiturss.
'.Thcrc is 10 faculty or p,w, in crea-
turCs which can rightly pcrfoI'its func-
hVns without the perpetual nijA the S1-
preme Being. Hooker.
The problem OF bird.hI8hli its
humors and its absurdities. leently
there has been a revival OF gas
eous theory to account for thtIuppar-
emily impossible, yet every Iy-vis-
ible, performances Of the hal aud
buzzards, the swifts aud iude lall OF
the best flyers. 1t is said thll birds
have pneumatic system. in Milton
to the osseous, muscular, a. Aular,
nervous aud other systems cDe vpn 10
all higher animals: and thatay the
functioning of this particular 1stem
they render themselves 50 bdlant
that their alar operations are ar bar
atiyely easy, requiring far lest Sou.
lar exertion and nervous expe,. han
would appear to he necessaryl.
This theory seems to re- /
posterous, being based i'll Il fllu Dn- |
trGdiction of an axiom of &s,l !
philosophy \ balloon, when collapsed, |
will not rise in the air but en- |
expanded With Il S0s iightg, thai II
atmosphere it scars. The came n
ciPle causes hull TO float on II
when solid Of the same size w i |
sink plump to the bottom If e
bird has system of pneumatic c,y-
tles, tue birds body is at it's lightst !
when those cavities are absolut}A
empty for no gas is lighter tlfn
vacuum. Then clearly the only
method 10y which the bird can increisc
it's buoyaucy in this connection is W
expanding its substance, and at tAe
same time filling the spaces within
gas extremely light and yet ablo,b
resist the increased pressure Of tie
external air. But does a bird exparl
its bones, OF even its softer parts.
any practical extent Wilde llyir4'
No theOrist claims that il does. Ii
such expansion were possible Ia
only service gas could perform
woulu be to resist the at,nos.i
pheric pressure; for, as L have said,
the bird would be lighter without the
gas than with il. No substance is
lighter than nothing,
1t IS aperiectly manageable problem
to calculate just how much a buzzard
would nave to expand the ''cavities Of
its pneumatic system" in order to in
crease the buoyanoy of its body q
given number Of ounces But sap
posing the bird can ut will expel from
its bone-cayities aud other pneumati-
reservoirs MI gaseous contents, there
would moi be IN appreciabie lessenine
OF weight in the problem Of fight.
In fact, ii buzzard could at will dis
card its entire abdominal viscera. the
loss OF substance would not be suni-
Gent to make any great change in our
problem: for the wild goose is twice
as heavy in tie body as n turkey.
Yulture, aud just as good flyer, with
ont any advantage in wing force. The
difference ID sailing ability in favor of
the yusturC is easily accounted for on
the score OF natural bodily lightness:
but this comparison does not in any
way assist in settling the main ques
ton. OF course if two birds have
equal wing force and greatly unequal
bodily weight, the heavier will have
10 work the harder in flying. Still,
under the most favorable cc-Ordiua-
ton OF weight and wing power III .
bird, the problem Of fight is far from
solution.
1t Is easy TO catch buzzard, yui-
sure OF goose and accurately meas
ure the muscular force OF its winga
1T has been done. This force has not
been found very remarkable. 4 boy
twelve years old can hold both wings
Of twenty-pound goose IN one hand
without great oxertiou. The wing
muscles are strong, but not marvel
ously strong; about equal to those Of
strong mans thumb. Well. a very
strong man can lift his own weight
with his two thumbs: wherefore il
should he easy enough for goose TO
mt twenty pounds with the same
muscular power. Here. however.
comes IN the the immense counter.
leverage OF the birds long wings as Il
troublesome element Of our calcnla.
ton. Let strong man take in his
hand van, the fnil size of a vulture' s.
wing, and attempt 10 sweep it swiftly
through the air; the realization Of
what the bird oyercomes with such
apparent ease and with such marvellous
grace viii immediately arrive. r. may
be SAID that IN any event the yultnre
mas but to sustain the weight of it's
own body; but remember that this
must he with outstretchod wings
were the wings mere thumbs and the
extreme leverage only three or four
inches, all would be well: bnt the air
pressure on the entire wing is at lost
IgU Il.