The Sun. — 1869-04-23 (London, England)

SECTS.  We have been informed that Professor Kitchingman, an entertaining entomologist resident near Brussels, who has for some time been making a variety of curious experiments on muscular power peculiar to several species of insects, has lately contrived an ingenious instrument for measuring their force of traction, flight, and thrust. The onlexometer—so called from tl,, family pulicidae, or pulex, being the base of the varied experiments—is of simple construction, consisting of a very finely manufactured hair-like spring, attached to a horizontal lever, at the end of which the insect to he tested is placed. This is connected with a circular deal, about four-anda-half inches in diameter, numerically graduated with the utmost nicety. The minute machine is so delicate hat it revolves with the slightest impetus, an ndicator pointing out the comparative strength of the insect. A method of calculation, easily acquired, is necessary to ascertain the comparative force between one insect and another. It has thus been ascertained that the genus pulex irritans (the common flea) is possessed of more than ten-fold the average strength of insects at all proportionate to its size. The great muscular power of the flea has for ages past been known, particularly to entomologists ; but no attempt seems to have been made to accurately measure its force contrasted with other insects. It is, however, now stated that the greatest mean effort of the flee is equal to as much as 800 times its own gravity, that of the small bodura to about 200 ; various other apterous tribes are measured from eighty to ninety-five, while the average force of the coleoptera, or beetle species, is put down at about seventy-five times their own weight, the common cockchafer being sixteen only. It is also shewn that the comparative strength of the weakest known aptera considerably exceeds that of any known specimen of the vertebrate. Professor Kitchingman has extended his experiments by endeavouring to train several species of insects, which has been accomplished to such an extent that one has been induced to run back downwards along a very fine silken cord, pulling behind it a single-wheeled suspended car. Two others, placed at each end of a small slip of wood, balanced upon a pivot, leap up and down at command given by a pecu'iar movement of the hand. A fourth, independent of compulsion, pulls back its tiny leg to fire off a miniature cannon. Among other surprising feats of the kind, we are told that the Professor has succeeded in training a beetle to swing to and fro a la Leotard, and is now endeavouring to teach an insect to propel a minute model velocipede. We understand the pulexometer and insect curiosities have been shewn to several entomologists and scientific gentlemen at Brussels, and have attracted much attention.—Star.  THE SUSPECTED MURDER IN A RAILWAY CARRini:lE.—The body found on the Irish railway line, near Mallow, has been identified as that of an Austrian sailor, who was discharged from a vessel at Passage last week to go to North America. The police are still prosecuting inquiries, and on Thursday blood stains were discovered in one of the carriages of the train in which the deceased is supposed to have travelled,'and the circumstance of the door of the compartment having been locked is taken as confirming the belief that deceased was thrown out through the window.