'Rotules,' which by means of two levers gave a rotary motion to
the front edge of the wings, and also permitted of their
adjustment to various angles. The inventor's idea was to stand
upright in the body of the contrivance, working the levers and
cords with his hands, and with his feet on a pedal by means of
which the steering tail was to be worked. He anticipated that,
given a strong wind, he could rise into the air after the manner
of an albatross, without any need for flapping his wings, and
the account of his first experiment forms one of the most
interesting incidents in the history of flight. It is related
in full in Chanute's work, from which the present account is
summarised.

Le Bris made his first experiment on a main road near
Douarnenez, at Trefeuntec. From his observation of the
albatross Le Bris concluded that it was necessary to get some
initial velocity in order to make the machine rise; consequently
on a Sunday morning, with a breeze of about 12 miles an hour
blowing down the road, he had his albatross placed on a cart and
set off, with a peasant driver, against the wind. At the outset
the machine was fastened to the cart by a rope running through
the rails on which the machine rested, and secured by a slip
knot on Le Bris's own wrist, so that only a jerk on his part was
necessary to loosen the rope and set the machine free. On each
side walked an assistant holding the wings, and when a turn of
the road brought the machine full into the wind these men were
instructed to let go, while the driver increased the pace from a
walk to a trot. Le Bris, by pressure on the levers of the
machine, raised the front edges of his wings slightly; they took
the wind almost instantly to such an extent that the horse,