A GLANCE at almost any page of this work will denote its object. It is to show the close connection between Nature and human inventions, and that there is scarcely an invention of man that has not its prototype in Nature. And it is worthy of notice that the greatest results have been obtained from means apparently the most insignificant.
There are two inventions, for example, which have changed the face of the earth, and which yet sprang from sources that were despised by men, and thought only fit for the passing sport of childhood. I allude, of course, to Steam and Electricity, both of which had been child’s toys for centuries before the one gave us the fixed engine, the locomotive, and the steamboat, and the other supplied us with the compass and the electric telegraph.
In the course of this work I have placed side by side a great number of parallels of Nature and Art, making the descriptions as terse and simple as possible, and illustrating them with more than seven hundred and fifty figures. The corollary which I hope will be drawn from the work is evident enough. It is, that as existing human inventions have been anticipated by Nature, so it will surely be found that in Nature lie the prototypes of inventions not yet revealed to man. The great discoverers of the future will, therefore, be those who will look to Nature for Art, Science, or Mechanics, instead of taking pride in some new invention, and then finding that it has existed in Nature for countless centuries.
I ought to mention that the illustrations are not intended to be finished drawings, but merely charts or maps, calling attention to the salient points.
CONTENTS.
| [NAUTICAL]. | ||
|---|---|---|
| CHAP. | PAGE | |
| [I.] | The Raft | [1] |
| [II.] | The Oar, the Paddle, and the Screw | [12] |
| [III.] | Subsidiary Appliances.—Part I. | [23] |
| [IV.] | Subsidiary Appliances.—Part II. | [34] |
| [V.] | Subsidiary Appliances.—Part III.—The Boat-hook AndPunt-pole.—The Life-buoy and Pontoon-raft | [44] |
| [WAR AND HUNTING]. | ||
| [I.] | The Pitfall, the Club, the Sword, the Spear and Dagger | [50] |
| [II.] | Poison, Animal and Vegetable.—Principle of the Barb | [62] |
| [III.] | Projectile Weapons and the Sheath | [74] |
| [IV.] | The Net | [85] |
| [V.] | Reverted Spikes | [102] |
| [VI.] | The Hook.—Defensive Armour.—The Fort | [115] |
| [VII.] | Scaling Instruments.—Defence of Fort.—Imitation.—TheFall-Trap | [132] |
| [VIII.] | Concealment.—Disguise.—The Trench.—Power OfGravity.—Miscellanea | [144] |
| [ARCHITECTURE]. | ||
| [I.] | The Hut, Tropic and Polar.—Pillars and Flooring.—TunnelEntrance of the Igloo.—Doors and Hinges.—Self-closingTrap-doors | [159] |
| [II.] | Walls, Double and Single.—Porches, Eaves, and Windows.—Thatch,Slates, and Tiles | [177] |
| [III.] | The Window.—Girders, Ties, and Buttresses.—The Tunnel.—TheSuspension-Bridge | [190] |
| [IV.] | Lighthouses.—The Dovetail.—The Dam.—SubterraneanDwellings.—The Pyramids.—Mortar, Paint, and Varnish | [207] |
| [TOOLS] | ||
| [I] | The Digging-stick.—Spade.—Shears and Scissors.—Chiseland Adze.—The Plane and Spokeshave | [222] |
| [II.] | The Saw and its Varieties | [239] |
| [III.] | Boring Tools.—Striking Tools.—Grasping Tools | [249] |
| [IV.] | Polishing Tools.—Measuring Tools | [263] |
| [OPTICS]. | ||
| [I.] | The Missions of History.—The Camera Obscura.—Longand Short Sight.—Stereoscope and Pseudoscope.—Multiplying-glasses | [276] |
| [II.] | The Water-Telescope.—Iris of the Eye.—Magic Lantern.—TheSpectroscope.—The Thaumatrope | [291] |
| [USEFUL ARTS]. | ||
| [I.] | Primitive Man and His Needs.—Earthenware.—Ball-and-SocketJoint.—Toggle or Knee Joint | [308] |
| [II.] | Crushing Instruments.—The Nut-Crackers, Rolling-Mill,and Grindstone.—Pressure of Atmosphere.—Seed Dibblesand Drills | [320] |
| [III.] | Cloth-Dressing.—Brushes and Combs.—Buttons, Hooks andEyes, and Clasp | [339] |
| [IV.] | The Stopper, or Cork.—The Filter | [350] |
| [V.] | The Principle of the Spring.—The Elastic Spring.—Accumulators.—TheSpiral Spring | [360] |
| [VI.] | Spiral and Ringed Tissues.—Various Springs in Natureand Art | [375] |
| [VII.] | Food and Comfort | [390] |
| [VIII.] | Domestic Comfort | [400] |
| [IX.] | Artificial Warmth.—Ring and Staple.—The Fan | [412] |
| [X.] | Water, and Means of Procuring It | [422] |
| [XI.] | Aërostatics.—Weight of Air.—Expansion by Heat | [436] |
| [XII.] | Ditto Continued | [447] |
| [XIII.] | Telescopic Tubes.—Direct Action.—Distribution ofWeight.—Tree-Climbing.—TheWheel | [460] |
| [XIV.] | Paper and Moulding | [472] |
| [XV.] | Electricity and Galvanism | [482] |
| [XVI.] | Tillage.—Drainage.—Spiral Principle.—Centrifugal Force | [492] |
| [XVII.] | Oscillation.—United Strength.—The Dome | [504] |
| [ACOUSTICS]. | ||
| [I.] | Percussion.—The String and Reed.—TheTrumpet.—Ear-Trumpet.—Stethoscope | [513] |
NAUTICAL.
CHAPTER I.
Poetry and Science.—The Paper Nautilus and the Sail.—Montgomery’s “Pelican Island.”—The Nautilus replaced by the Velella.—The Sailing Raft of Nature and Art.—Description of a Velella Fleet off Tenby.—The Natural Raft and its Sail.—The Boats of Nature and Art.—Man’s first Idea of a Boat.—The Kruman’s Canoe and the Great Eastern.—Gradual Development of the Boat.—The Outrigger Canoe a Mixture of Raft and Boat.—Natural Boats.—The Water-snails.—The Sea-anemones.—The Egg-boat of the Gnat.—The Skin-boat of the same Insect.—Shape and Properties of the Life-boat anticipated in Nature.—Natural Boat of the Stratiomys.