Page:The fairy tales of science.djvu/11

 CONTENTS.

The griffins and dragons of fairy mythology—The monsters revealed by science—The ancient ocean and its inhabitants—The Cetiosaurus—The Plesiosaurus—Aspect of the country of the Dinosaurians—Crocodiles—Turtles—The Hylæosaurus and Megalosaurus—A fearful conflict—An uncultivated garden—No trace of man—The Iguanodon, a huge herbivorous monster—The Pterodactyle, a flying reptile—Wealden beds—The stone book

The fairy messenger—Thales and the Amber Spirit—Ancient explanation of lightning and meteors—Man's devices for enslaving the spirit—Globe of sulphur—Conductors and non-conductors—Electrical machines—The Leyden jar—How to draw the spirit from the clouds—The voltaic pile—Deflections of the magnetic needle—The spirit employed as a courier—The electric telegraph explained—Systems of Wheatstone, Morse, Bain, and Bakewell—Telegraphic wires—Submarine telegraphs—France and England brought within a speaking distance of each other—Irish cable—Atlantic cable—The spirit taught to measure time—Bain's electric clock—The electrotype—The spirit's versatility