THE 



POPULAK SCIENCE 

 MONTHLY. 



NOVEMBER, 1885. 



FLYING-MACHINES. 



Bv T. W. MATHER. 



THE subject of my paper — flying-machines — in a general way, is 

 of interest to everybody. But, to those who have given it more 

 particular attention, it is not only interesting but fascinating, and a 

 little dangerous. The pathway has been strewed with wrecks ; and I 

 fear there is a feeling prevalent that, after all, it leads nowhere in par- 

 ticular, unless it be to the almshouse or lunatic asylum. 



Still, there are times when we heartily envy the birds their wonder- 

 ful power. I remember in reading, I think, Mr. Wallace's book on the 

 Amazons, that he was once standing on the shore of the mighty river, 

 confronted by an impenetrable wall of green, concealing within itself 

 doubtless no end of new plants and beetles ; and when a gayly painted 

 macaw came sailing lazily along and disappeared behind the tree-tops 

 without any sort of trouble, he gave vent emphatically to the general 

 wish to fly, and to a feeling of surprise that apparently so simple a 

 problem should have remained so long unsolved. 



I propose here to give an account of some of the attempts to fly 

 that have been made in the past, and are now being made ; and to try 

 to explain the principles involved, and why success has not been 

 achieved. 



The old Greeks and Romans very sensibly appear to have been 

 content to give the gods and birds and butterflies a monopoly of the 

 air ; for, excepting the story of Dgedalus and Icarus, little mention 

 has been made by classical writers of attempts to fly, or of flying- 

 machines. 



Doedalus, it seems, had killed a man in Athens, and with his un- 

 fortunate son fled to Crete, where King Minos very properly detained 



VOL. XXVIII. — 1 



