n placed itself upon the car, and did not wish to
quit us. Acting on the hint of Dr. Reimarus, I tried the same experiment
with butterflies, but the air was too much rarefied for them; they
attempted in vain to raise themselves by their wings, but they did not
forsake the car.

"The wind continuing to carry me towards the sea, I resolved to bring
my observations to an end. I effected my descent in a meadow, near the
village of Rehorst, in Holstein, after having run sixteen leagues from
France in sixty-five minutes."

At the commencement of the year 1804, Laplace, at the Institute,
proposed to take advantage of the means offered by aerostation to verify
at great heights certain scientific points--as, for example, those which
concern magnetism. This proposition was made at a favourable time, and
was, so far, carried out in the best possible way. The aeronauts who
were appointed to carry out the expedition were Biot and Gay-Lussac, the
most enthusiastic aeronauts of the period.

The following is their report:--

"We observed the animals we had with us at all the different heights,
and they did not appear to suffer in any manner. For ourselves, we
perceived no effect any more then a quickening of the pulse. At 10,000
feet above the ground we set a little green-finch at liberty. He flew
out at once, but immediately returning, settled upon our cordage;
afterwards, setting out again, he flew to the earth, describing a very
tortuous line in his passage. We followed him with our eyes till he was
lost in the clouds. A pigeon, which we set free at the same elevation,
presented a very curious spectacle. Placed at liberty on the edge of the
car, he remained at rest for a number of instants, as if measuring the
length of his flight; then he launched himself into space, flying about
irregularly, as if to try his wings. Afterwards he began his descent
regularly, sweeping round and round in great circles, ever reaching
lower, until he also was lost in the clouds."

As to the voyagers themselves, this is how they speak of their situation
at the height of 3,000 yards:--

"About this elevation we observed our animals. They did not appear
to suffer from the rarity of the air, yet the barometer was at twenty
inches eight lines.. We were much surprised that we did not suffer from
the cold; on the contrary, the sun warmed us much. We had thrown aside
the gloves which had been put on board, and which were of no use to us.
Our pulses were