Year: 1878

THE FLIGHT OF BIRDs.-In the time of
Henry the Fourth King of France, there was
a famous falcon-a species of hawk-that was
trained to fly from Fontainbleau to Malta, a
distance of 1850 miles, in the short time of
twenty-four hours Other birds have even
greater power to sustain themselves for long
periods in the air. Thus the frigate or man.
of:wa bird, is sometimes found on the Allan
tic Thousand miles from the shore, flying
in various directions in search of food, so that
he must have flown much more than a thou.
sand miles in getting there, and probably flies
much farther in getting back making, proba-
bly, q Journey of four or FIVE thousand miles
without any rest.


1t has been said of this bird that it never
visits the shore except during the season of its
Matching, and that it sleeps while posing itself
on its wings at a great height. Besides all
these various arrangements that keep the bird
long on the wing, there is still another of re-
remarkably interesting character. You know
how a fire balloon is made to rise by heating
the air with a small piece Of sponge filled
with alcohol, and set on fire 80 that the heated
air is ever rising under it and lifting it higher
and higher in the air. The air thus heated is
expanded and made lighter in the balloon, so
that it is crowded up by the colder air a. ways
getting beneath it. Now, there is something
like this in every bird that flies. The natur-
al heat of the birds body is greater than that
of man.


For instance, the heat of the human body
is ordinarily about 80 degrees, while that of
flying birds is from 106 to 1l2 degrees.
Now this great heat of the birds body expands
the air in the lungs, the bones, the quills and
feathers and air sacs, so that it makes it easy
to keep aAoat in the higher regions; and es-
giles, hawks and other birds of prey eat ami
mails alone, and as this has more heating pro.
perties than vegetable food, the bodies of
such birds have higher temperature, and
80 are able to keep longer on the wing than
those birds that live entirely on seeds.
Hence we never see those seed eating birds
flying so high, and remaining so long in the
air, as those that eat flesh.


TIE BENEFIT OF LAUGHING.-Dr. Green,
in his "Problem of Health" says that there is
not the remotest corner or inlet of the minute
blood vessels of the human body, that does
not feel some waver from the convulsion oc-
casioned by good hearty laughter. The
life principle, or the inward man, is shaken
to its innermost depths, sending new tides OF
life and strength to the surface, thus materi.
ally tending to insure good health to the per
sons who moderately indulge therein. The
blood moves more rapidly and conveys differ
ent impressions to all the organs of the body
as it visits them on that particular journey
when the man is laughing. from what it
does at other times For this reason, every
good hearty laugh in which person indulgess,
tends to lengthen his life, conveying, as it
does, new and distinct stimulus to the vital
forces. Doubtless the time will come when
physicians, conceding more Importance than
they do now to the influence of the mind
upon the vital forces of the body, will make
their prescriptions more with reference to the
condition of the mind, and drugs for the body
and in so doing will find the best and most
effective methods of producing the required
effect upon the patient.