268 ON SWIMMING, &C. 



situation of ^Y tying on my back without motion for considerable 

 floating per- periods of time;, sometimes for half an hour, or longer, 

 eons, c. when the water was mild and smooth; ai; such times I 



have found a strong inclination to sleep, which induced 

 me to lie no longer without motion, for fear of carrying 

 this amusement too far. When floating on salt water I 

 have always observed the following effects produced by 

 pkcing the arms in various positions : 1st. When my 

 arms were placed across my, breast, the body floating in 

 the horizontal position, face upwards, in a short time 

 the feet and legs sunk downward, until the body assumed 

 nearly a vertical position ; then the head frequently sunk 

 so far as to bring the nose under the surface, but the face 

 quickly resumed its former position above the surface 

 without using the least motion of any limb. The body 

 alters its position, sometimes, by turning round from one 

 side to the other when the feet sink far below the sur- 

 face, but soon returns to its natural floating position 

 with the back undermost, the legs and feet at the same 

 time ascending to the surface as at first. With the hands 

 laid acjross the breast this revolution of the body in float* 

 ing on the sea has been reitorated often in the space of a 

 quarter of an hour without moving a limb. 



2nd. When the arms were laid close along each side, 

 OTer the belly, or under the back, the body was liable to 

 the same revolutions as mentioned above. 



3rd. When the arms were stretched in a perpendicular 

 direction from the body, they always prevented it from 

 turning round by acting on the water as levers to retain 

 ^ the body in its natural floating position ; although with 

 the arms in this position the feet sometimes descended 

 considerably from the surface, but shortly after ascended 

 to it again. 



4th. To keep the body in the horizontal equilibrium, 

 the arms were stretched backward beyond the head, the 

 hands open and resting on the surface of the water ; the 

 legs and feet then remained constantly near the surface, 

 the toes generally above it. On drawing the arms from 

 this position gradually forward to the perpendicular di- 

 rection from the body, the feet always inclined to 

 descend from the surface; but so soon as the arms were 



moved 



