One of the most remarkable and inexplicable experiments relative to the strength of the human frame, which you have yourself seen and admired, is that in which a heavy man is raised with the greatest facility, when he is lifted up the instant that his own lungs and those of the persons who raise him are inflated with air.  This experiment was, I believe, first shown in England a few years ago by Major H., who saw it performed in a large party at Venice under the direction of an officer of the American Navy.  As Major H. performed it more than once in my presence, I shall describe as nearly as possible the method which he prescribed.  The heaviest person in the party lies down upon two chairs, his legs being supported by the one and his back by the other.  Four persons, one at each leg, and one at each shoulder, then try to raise him, and they find his dead weight to be very great, from the difficulty they experience in supporting him.  When he is replaced in the chair, each of the four persons takes hold of the body as before, and the person to be lifted gives two signals by clapping his hands.  At the first signal he himself and the four lifters begin to draw a long and full breath, and when the inhalation is completed, or the lungs filled, the second signal is given, for raising the person from the chair.  To his own surprise and that of his bearers, he rises with the greatest facility, as if he were no heavier than a feather.  On several occasions I have observed that when one of the bearers performs his part ill, by making the inhalation out of time, the part of the body which he tries to raise is left as it were behind.  As you have repeatedly seen this experiment, and have performed the part both of the load and of the bearer, you can testify how remarkable the effects appear to all parties, and how complete is the conviction, either that the load has been lightened, or the bearer strengthened by the prescribed process.  At Venice the experiment was performed in a much more imposing manner.  The heaviest man in the party was raised and sustained upon the points of the fore-fingers of six persons.  Major H. declared that the experiment would not succeed if the person lifted were placed upon a board, and the strength of the individuals applied to the board.  He conceived it necessary that the bearers should communicate directly with the body to be raised.  I have not had an opportunity of making any experiments relative to these curious facts; but whether the general effect is an illusion, or the result of known or of new principles, the subject merits a careful investigation.

(In connexion with walking along the ceiling is noticed the beautiful contrivance of the foot of the house-fly and gecko, and the head of the sucking-fish.  To the next portion, Chemistry has supplied fewer wonders than we expected:  they occupy but fifty pages.

The examples in this book are the most quotable portion, but the majority of them would be new to few readers:  who, for instance, is unacquainted with the feats of Topham, the strong man, or the Invisible Girl.  The explanations are not so easily transferable, since they are generally accompanied by illustrations.