FLYING AND FLYING-MACHINES. 339 



It may be remarked, indeed, that the art of flying, 

 if it is ever attained, will probably be arrived at by 

 means of attempts directed, in the first place, towards 

 rapid passage along terra firma. As the trapeze gym- 

 nast avails himself of the supporting power of ropes, 

 so the supporting power of the air may be called into 

 action to aid men in traversing the ground. The fol- 

 lowing passage from Tumor's Astra Castra shows that 

 our velocipedists might soon be outvied by half-flying 

 pedestrians : c Soon after Bacon's time,' he tells us, 

 4 projects were instituted to train up children from their 

 infancy in the exercise of flying with artificial wings, 

 which seemed to be the favourite plan of the artists 

 and philosophers of that day. If we credit the accounts 

 of some of these experiments, it would seem that con- 

 siderable progress was made that way. The individuals 

 who used the wings could skim over the surface of the 

 earth with a great deal of ease and celerity. This was 

 accomplished by the combined faculties of running and 

 flying. It is stated that, by an alternate continued 

 motion of the wings against the air, and the feet 

 against the ground, they were enabled to move along 

 with a striding motion, and with incredible speed. 



A gymnast of our own day, Mr. Charles Spencer 

 (' one of the best teachers of gymnastics in this 

 country,' says Mr. Brearey), has met with even more 

 marked success, for he has been able to raise himself 

 by the action of wings attached to his arms. The 

 material of which these wings were made was too 

 fragile for actual flight ; and Mr. Spencer was prevented 



z 2 



