keep the air in the lungs. The chest being thus kept expanded, the pulling or lifting muscles have received as it were a fulcrum round which their power is exerted; and we can thus lift the greatest weight the muscles are capable of doing. When the chest collapses by the escape of the air, the lifters lose their muscular power: re-inhalation of air by the liftee can certainly add nothing to the power of the lifters, or diminish his own weight, which is only increased by the weight of the air which he inhales.' MICROSCOPICAL EXAMINATION OF THE HAIR. If a hair be drawn between the finger and thumb, from the end to the root, it will be distinctly felt to give a greater resistance and a different sensation to that which is experienced when drawn the opposite way; in consequence, if the hair be rubbed between the fingers, it will only move one way (travelling in the direction of a line drawn from its termination to its origin from the head or body), so that each extremity may thus be easily distinguished, even in the dark, by the touch alone. The mystery is resolved by the achromatic microscope. A hair viewed on a dark ground as an opaque object with a high power, not less than that of a lens of one-thirtieth of an inch focus, and dully illuminated by a cup, the hair is seen to be indented with teeth somewhat resembling those of a coarse round rasp, but extremely irregular and rugged: as these incline all in one direction, like those of a common file, viz. from the origin of the hair towards its extremity, it sufficiently explains the above singular property. This is a singular proof of the acuteness of the sense of feeling, for the said teeth may be felt much more easily than they can be seen. We may thus understand why a razor will cut a hair in two much more easily when drawn against its teeth than in the opposite direction. SIR DAVID BREWSTER'S KALEIDOSCOPE. The idea of this instrument, constructed for the purpose of creating and exhibiting a variety of beautiful and perfectly symmetrical forms, first occurred to Sir David Brewster in 1814, when he was engaged in experiments on the polarisation of light by successive reflections between plates of glass. The reflectors were in some instances inclined to each other; and he had occasion to remark the circular arrangement of the images of a candle round a centre, or the multiplication of the sectors formed by the extremities of the glass plates. In repeating at a subsequent period the experiments of M. Biot on the action of fluids upon light, Sir David Brewster placed the K fluids in a trough, formed by two plates of glass cemented together at an angle; and the eye being necessarily placed at one end, some of the cement, which had been pressed through between the plates, appeared to be arranged into a regular figure. The remarkable symmetry which it presented led to Dr. Brewster's investigation of the cause of this phenomenon ; and in so doing he discovered the leading principles of the kaleidoscope. By the advice of his friends, Dr. Brewster took out a patent for his invention, in the specification of which he describes the kaleidoscope in two different forms. The instrument, however, having been shown to several opticians in London, became known before he could avail himself of his patent; and being simple in principle, it was at once largely manufactured. It is calculated that not less than 200,000 kaleidoscopes were sold in three months in London and Paris; though out of this number, Dr. Brewster says, not perhaps 1,000 were constructed upon scientific principles, or were capable of giving anything like a correct idea of the power of his kaleidoscope. EXTINCT CARNIVOROUS ANIMALS OF GREAT BRITAIN. Professor Owen has thus forcibly illustrated the carnivorous animals which preyed upon and restrained the undue multiplication of the vegetable feeders. First we have the bear family, which is now represented in this country only by the badger. We were once blest, however, with many bears. One species seems to have been identical with the existing brown bear of the European continent. Far larger and more formidable was the gigantic cave-bear (Ursus splaus), which surpassed in size his grizzly brother of North America. The skull of the cave-bear differs very much in shape from that of its small brown relative just alluded to; the forehead, in particular, is much higher-to be accounted for by an arrangement of aircells similar to those which we have already remarked in the elephant. The cave-bear has left its remains in vast abundance in Germany. In our own caves, the bones of hyænas are found in greater quantities. The marks which the teeth of the hyæna make upon the bones which it gnaws are quite unmistakable. Our English hyænas had the most undiscriminating appetite, preying upon every creature, their own species amongst others. Wolves, not distinguishable from those which now exist in France and Germany, seem to have kept company with the hyænas; and Felis splea, a sort of lion, but larger than any which now exists, ruled over all weaker brutes. Here, ss Professor Owen, we have the original British Lion. A species of Machairodus has left its remains at Kent's Hole, near Torquay. In England we had also the beaver, which still lingers on the Danube and the Rhone, and a larger species which has been called Trogontherium (gnawing beast), and a gigantic mole. ALL THE RAIN OF THE WORLD. The Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean may be considered as one sheet of water covering an area quite equal in extent to one-half of that embraced by the whole surface of the earth; and the total annual fall of rain on the earth's surface is 186,240 cubic imperial miles. Not less than three-fourths of the vapour which makes this rain comes from this waste of waters; but, supposing that only half of this quantity, that is, 93,120 cubic miles of rain, falls upon this sea, and that that much at least is taken up from it again as vapour, this would give 255 cubic miles as the quantity of water which is daily lifted up and poured back again into this expanse. It is taken up at one place, and rained down at another; and in this process, therefore, we have agencies for multitudes of partial and conflicting currents, all in their set strength, apparently as uncertain as the winds. The better to appreciate the operation of such agencies in producing currents in the sea, imagine a district of 255 square miles to be set apart in the midst of the Pacific Ocean as the scene of operations for one day; then conceive a machine capable of pumping up in the twenty-four hours all the water to the depth of one mile in this district. The machine must not only pump up and bear off this immense quantity of water, but it must discharge it again into the sea on the same day, but at some other place. All the great rivers of America, Europe, and Asia are lifted up by the atmosphere, and flow in invisible streams back through the air to their sources among the hills; and through channels so regular, certain, and well-defined, that the quantity thus conveyed one year with the other is nearly the same: for that is the quantity which we see running down to the ocean through these rivers; and the quantity discharged annually by each river is, as far as we can judge, nearly as constant. DECIMAL FRACTIONS: REDUCTION. Find the value of (1) £75; £625; £725; £485; £1421; £7863; £416. (2) 258.; 325s.; 1215s.; 4163s.; 8131s.; 83648.; 236s. (3) 145d.; 365d.; 485d.; £675; £845; £925; 45s. (4) 75 ton; 564 lb. Troy; 368 oz. Troy; 699 cwt.; 568 qr.; 892 m.; 6731 yard. (5) 869 day; 4062 of £2 10s. 6d.; 0321 of 5 hrs. 48 m.; 878 of 18s. 101d. SELECTIONS FROM THE POEMS OF MILTON AND DRYDEN. THE SPIRIT'S EPILOGUE. (John Milton.) [Born, 1608; died, 1674. Chief poems: 'Paradise Lost,' 'Paradise Regained,' 'Comus,'' Samson Agonistes,' &c.] wax'-ing, growing sphe-ry, round, belonging to the spheres in-su'-per-a-ble, that cannot be overcome o-do-rif'-er-ous, fragrant, giving scent Ti-mo-the-us, a Baotian poet, a favourite of Alexander the Great Hel'-en, wife of Menelaus. She went away with Paris, son of Priam, King of Troy, and thus caused the Trojan War en-thu'-si-ast, a person extremely zealous in supporting his principles To the ocean now I fly, And those happy climes that lie Of Hesperus, and his daughters three, Nard and Cassia's balmy smells. Waters the odorous banks that blow Flowers of more mingled hue Celestial Cupid, her fam'd son, advanc'd, After her wandering labours long, Quickly to the green earth's end, Mortals that would follow me, Heaven itself would stoop to her. Comus. THE GARDEN OF EDEN. So on he fares, and to the border comes Cedar and pine, and fir, and branching palm, Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops, |