33 8 THE BORDERLAND OF SCIENCE. 



downward pull with the arms was exceedingly effective ; 

 but the downward pull with the legs was altogether 

 feeble. For the body lying horizontally, the muscles 

 used in the downward pull with the legs were those 

 by which the leg is carried forward in walking, and 

 these muscles have very little strength, as any one will 

 see who, standing upright on one leg, tries, without 

 bending the knee of the other, to push forward any 

 considerable weight with the front of this leg. 



Yet even with this imperfect contrivance Besnier 

 achieved a partial success. His pinions did not, indeed, 

 serve to raise him in the air ; but when, by a sharp run 

 forward, he had brought that aerial supporting power 

 into action of which we have spoken above, the pinions, 

 sharply worked, so far sustained him as to allow him 

 to cross a river of considerable width. It is not un- 

 likely that, had Besnier provided fixed sustaining sur- 

 faces, in addition to the moveable pinions, he might 

 have increased the distance he could traverse. But, as 

 regards flight, there was a further and much more 

 serious defect in his apparatus. No means whatever 

 were provided for propulsion. The wings tended to 

 raise the body (this tendency only availing, however, 

 to sustain it) ; but they could give no forward motion. 

 With a slight modification, it is probable that Besnier's 

 method would enable an active man to travel over 

 ground with extreme rapidity, clearing impediments of 

 considerable height, and taking tolerably wide rivers 

 almost ' in his stride ; ' but I believe that the method 

 could never enable men actually to fly. 



