Nature's Teachings: Human Invention Anticipated by Nature

Importance of Leverage in Crushing Power.--Nut-crackers a Lever of the Second Order.--The Chaff-cutting and Tobacconists’ Machines.--Jaws of various Animals.--The Wolf-fish or S...

Primitive Architecture evidently borrowed from the Lower Animals.--Roof Hut of the Nshiego Mbouvé of Western Africa.--Platform Hut of the Orang-outan of Borneo.--Lake Dwellers a...

Anglers and their Hooks.--Single and double Hooks.--Hook of British Columbia.--Seed of Galium, or Goose-grass, and its Armature of Hooks.--Seed of the Burdock, and its Annoyance...

The Use of Tools a Distinction between Man and Beast.--All Men, however savage, use Tools, but none of the lower Animals can do so until taught by Man.--Tools needed to break up...

The Science of Sound.--Rhythmical Vibrations.--The Drum.--Primitive Drums.--The Solid and Hollow Log.--The Bass Drum and Kettle-drum.--African Drums.--Gnostic Gems and the Ashan...

The Window, and its Modifications according to Climate.--Bars and Tracery.--The Wheel-window and the Caddis.--Curious Structure of the Caddis-tube.--Object of its Window.--The G...

The Net, as used in Hunting and War.--The Seine-net, as used for Fishing.--Also as a means of Hunting.--Net for Elephant-catching.--Steel Net for Military Purposes.--Web of the...

Limits to Sight in the Water.--Effect of a Ripple.--The Eyes under Water.--The Water Telescope, its Structure and Mode of Use.--Gyrinus, or Whirlwig-beetle, and its Double Set o...

Concealment needed in Modern Warfare.--Concealment by Covering.--Masking Guns.--Birnam Wood.--The Reduvius.--The Cuckoo-spit and the Spider-crab.--Concealment by Disguise.--Stra...

The Camera Obscura.--Telescopes, Microscopes, and Spectroscopes, and their separate Objects.--Structure of the Camera Obscura.--The Double Convex Lens.--Its Use as a Burning-gla...

The Eddystone Lighthouse: its Position, and the Difficulties of building it.--Destruction of successive Lighthouses.--Smeaton’s Idea of Form borrowed from the Tree-trunk.--Mode...

The Bradawl and the Gimlet defined.--Natural Bradawls.--The Ichneumon-flies.--A Pimpla engaged in Boring Operations.--Principle of the Wedge.--Resisting Power of Earth.--Pitchin...

Reverted Spikes and their Modifications.--The Wire Mouse-trap.--George III. and the Trap.--Fate of a Royal Finger.--The Crab and Lobster Pot.--The Eel-pot.--Cocoon of the Empero...

Spiral Tissues, and their Structure and Uses.--The movable Gas-lamp.--Elastic Tubes.--Breathing-tubes of Insects, and their Spiral Wire.--Ringed Tissues and their varied Structu...

Poison as applied to Weapons.--Its limited Use.--Animal and Vegetable Poisons.--Animal Poisons.--The Malayan Dagger, or Kris, and two Modes of poisoning it.--The Bosjesmans and...

Files and Sand-papers.--The Sheffield File and its Structure.--The Equisetum, Mare’s Tail, or Dutch Rush.--Beauty of its Surface when seen through the Microscope.--Sand-paper.--...

The Necessity of Water to Man.--Composition of the Human Body.--Natural and Artificial Distillation.--The Traveller’s Tree.--Pitcher-plants and Monkey-pots.--Stomach of the Came...

Analogy between War and Hunting.--The Pitfall as used for both Purposes.--African Pitfalls for large Game, and their Armature for preventing the Escape of Prey.--Its Use in this...

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...

The Wall and its Materials.--Bricks as they are and might be.--Trade Unionism.--Double Walls and their Uses.--Double Clothing.--The Refrigerator.--Cooking Vessels.--Fire-proof S...

Scaling-forks.--The Climbing-spur and its Use.--Larva of the Tiger-beetle.--Hooks of Serpula.--Mr. Gosse’s Description.--Falling Stones.--A Stone rolling down a Precipice.--The...

The Cassava Press and its Structure.--Mode of using it.--The Siamese Link.--An ingenious Robbery.--Muscles and their Mode of Action.--Human Arms and Steelyard.--Change of Direct...

Systems of cultivating Ground.--The Fallow System.--Manuring the Ground.--Custom of China.--Nature’s Abhorrence of Waste.--What becomes of Dead Animals.--Burying-beetles.--The S...

Contrast between Savagery and Civilisation.--Manufacture of Weapons.--Earthenware of Art.--Sun-baked Vessels.--Earthenware of Nature.--Nest of Pied Grallina.--Analogy with the B...

Propulsion by the Oar.--Parallels in the Insect World.--The “Water-boatman.”--Its Boat-like Shape.--The Oar-like Legs.--Exact mechanical Analogy between the Legs of the Insect a...

General Sketch of the Subject.--The Mast of Wood and Iron.--Analogy between the Iron Mast and the Porcupine Quill.--The Iron Yard and its Shape prefigured by the same Quill.--Be...

Vessels and their Covers.--Corks.--Mode of bottling Wine.--Conical Corks and Stoppers.--Self-fitting Candles.--Candle-fixers.--The Vent-peg.--The Blow-guns and their Missiles.--...

How to make Home comfortable.--The Bed in its various Forms.--The Feather Bed of Man.--The Eider-duck and her Plumage.--The Rabbit and her Down.--The Long-tailed Titmouse and he...

Telescopic Tubes, their Structure and Uses.--The Japanese Fishing-rod.--The Tripod Wheel-bearer and its Telescopic Structure.--The Rat-tailed Maggot.--Locomotion.--Direct Action...

The Teazle and its Structure.--Its Use in raising the “Nap” on Cloth.--Its Value in Commerce.--Artificial Teazles.--The modern Cloth-dressing Machine.--The Brush an Article of L...

Propulsive Power.--The Pea-shooter and its Powers.--An Attack repulsed.--Clay Bullets.--Puff and Dart.--The Sumpitan of Borneo, and its Arrows.--The Zarabatana or Pucunha of Sou...

Ascent and Descent.--The Balloon and the Parachute.--Description of the Balloon.--The Montgolfier Balloon.--Causes of its Abandonment.--The Gas Balloon.--Hydrogen Gas and its Ma...

Cutting Tools and their working.--Structure of the Edge.--The Kris.--Edge of a Razor.--The Sword and the Apple.--Australian Saw.--Fretwork Saw.--Various Saw-flies.--The Pioneer’...

The Cable and its Variations.--Material of Cables.--Hempen and Iron Cables, and Elasticity of the latter.--Natural Cables.--The “Byssus” of the Pinna and the common Mussel.--The...

Electricity, Magnetism, and Galvanism mutually convertible.--The Force co-extensive with Nature.--Uses of Thunder-storms.--Languor from Want of Electricity.--Frictional and Volt...

Various Modes of warming Houses.--The Fire of the American Indian and the Kafir.--The Oil-lamp of the Esquimaux.--The open Fireplace and Chimney Stoves.--The laminated Stove and...

great size, but possess wonderful elasticity. They owe the latter quality to sundry layers of sinew which have been affixed to the back when wet, and which add enormously to the...

Parents and their Young.--Milk, and the various Ways of obtaining and using it.--The Kafir Tribes and Clotted Milk.--The Tonga Islanders.--The Tartars.--Ants and Aphides.--Honey...

Paper and its many Uses.--The Egyptian Papyrus.--India Paper.--China and its Manufactories.--Materials of which Paper is made.--Annual Consumption of Material.--The “Water Mark....

Connection of Oscillation with Centrifugal Force.--Equality of Time in Oscillation.--The Spider.--The Stone and String.--Pendulum of the Clock, and its Effect on the Machinery.-...

The Boat-hook and its varied Uses.--The Earth-worm and the Serpula.--Microscopic Boat-hooks.--The Life-belt.--Life-boats and their Structure.--Uses of Cork.--Wine Corks made ser...

Springs and their various Structure.--The Elastic Spring.--The Boy’s Catapult and its Powers.--The Pistolograph, its Principle, and Uses to which it can be put.--Leaf-rolling Ca...