169 



ROWING STYLES. 



PROFESSOR MARCY has recently discussed, in a lecture on 

 Living Locomotors (Moteurs Animes], the principles of pro- 

 pulsion. Had he been an Englishman he would probably 

 have found some of his most striking illustrations among 

 different cases of propulsion through water. But, although 

 he limited his discussion of animated motors to those which 

 work on land, he yet laid down the fundamental principle 

 of all propulsion, which is that as little as possible and 

 therefore, if possible, none at all of the energy employed to 

 produce propulsion should be expended in injurious work. 

 Even with the best carriages, he pointed out, there remain 

 vibrations and shocks which must be attacked and destroyed 

 to render the conditions of traction more perfect ; they are 

 veritable shocks, which use up part of the work of the'horse 

 in giving only hurtful effects, bruising the animal's breast, 

 injuring his muscles, and, in spite of the padding of the 

 collar, sometimes wounding him. Then he showed a simple 

 experiment suggested by the able dynamician, Poncelet. To 

 a weight of five kilos, (about nib.) a string is attached by 

 which the weight can be lifted, but not much more. Then 

 the experimenter tries to lift the weight rapidly with the 

 string, which breaks without moving the weight, while the 

 fingers are more or less hurt by the sudden shock. If now, 

 a cord of equal strength, but slightly elastic, is substituted, 

 the experiment ends differently. The sudden effort of 

 elevation is transformed into a more prolonged action, and 



