CAPACITY FOR FALLING 85 



stiffening the scales when falling. There are also 

 insects which, from their specific gravity and by 

 contortion of their limbs, become parachutes, and 

 by catching upon the air they either fall in a series 

 of spiral turns like descending a spiral staircase, or, 

 by slowly oscillating from side to side, as one has 

 seen when in childhood we threw a broken bit of 

 white delf into the old-fashioned wells and watched 

 its swing-swinging from side to side, down, down, 

 getting fainter, and fainter, finally disappearing. 



The well-known fact of the nine-lifed Cat when 

 thrown from a considerable height alighting with- 

 out sustaining serious injury is an example of the 

 protection afforded by means of the curve and 

 spring. In the case of the Cat falling, the curve 

 becomes intensified into a deep loop. We all 

 know how this animal can draw up its body in the 

 middle in a way no other animal can do. When 

 the Cat finds itself in mid-air this high-arch pro- 

 pensity is brought into full play, and when it 

 reaches the ground it has an immense stock of 

 what may be termed anti-shock to draw upon. 



Then we have various kinds of jumpers. Of 

 course the termination of a jump or leap is a fall. 

 We have the leap of the Horse protected in his 

 fall by the great number of beautifully arranged 

 springs in the foot and leg. Even when the 

 Horse falls sideways he is well protected by the 

 natural pads on shoulder and hip. 



