it "would be as common for a man to call for his wings as for
boots and spurs."

We have now to return to the "tame goose" method, which found
its best and boldest exponent in a humble craftsman, by name
Besnier, living at Sable, about the year 1678. This mechanical
genius was by trade a locksmith, and must have been possessed
of sufficient skill to construct an efficient apparatus out of
such materials as came to his hand, of the simplest possible
design. It may be compared to the earliest type of bicycle,
the ancient "bone shaker," now almost forgotten save by those
who, like the writer, had experience of it on its first
appearance. Besnier's wings, as it would appear, were
essentially a pair of double-bladed paddles and nothing more,
roughly resembling the double-paddle of an old-fashioned canoe,
only the blades were large, roughly rectangular, and curved or
hollowed. The operator would commence by standing erect and
balancing these paddles, one on each shoulder, so that the
hollows of the blades should be towards the ground. The
forward part of each paddle was then grasped by the hands,
while the hinder part of each was connected to the
corresponding leg. This, presumably, would be effected after
the arms had been raised vertically, the leg attachment being
contrived in some way which experience would dictate.

The flyer was now fully equipped, and nothing remained for him
save to mount some eminence and, throwing himself forward into
space and assuming the position of a flying bird, to commence
flapping and beating the air with a reciprocal motion. First,
he would buffet the air downwards with the left arm and right