Nature's Teachings Human Invention Anticipated by Nature

Nature's Teachings, first published in 1877, was one of many books on natural history by J. G. Wood, a Victorian clergyman who was hugely influential in popularising the subject, as well as being the editor of The Boy's Own Magazine. Here he examines the close parallels between nature and human inventions in areas including seafaring (the raft, paddle and oar), war and hunting (barbs, poisons and projectiles), architecture, tools, optics and acoustics, as well as 'useful arts' including sewage disposal. His text contains over 750 figures and illustrations, and he argues that future great discoveries could be made as a result of careful observations of nature. Although a contemporary of Darwin, Wood largely ignored the evolution debates and focused on communicating his enthusiasm for the natural world to a non-scientific audience. His successful publications still make fascinating reading for those interested in Victorian culture and the history of education.

Preface; Part I. Nautical: 1. The raft; 2. The oar, the paddle and the screw; 3. Subsidiary appliances; 4. Subsidiary appliances (continued); 5. Subsidiary appliances (continued); Part II. War and hunting: 1. The pitfall, the club, the sword, the spear and the dagger; 2. Poison, animal and vegetable; 3. Projectile weapons and the sheath; 4. The net, etc.; 5. Reverted spikes and their modifications, etc.; 6. The hook, defensive armour, the fort; 7. Scaling instruments, defence of fort, imitation, the fall-trap; 8. Concealment, disguise, the trench, power of gravity, miscellanea; Part III. Architecture: 1. Hut, tropic and polar; 2. Walls, double and single; 3. The window; 4. Lighthouses; Part IV. Tools: 1. The digging-stick; 2. The saw and its varieties; 3. Boring tools; 4. Polishing tools; Part V. Optics: 1. The missions of history; 2. The water-telescope; Part VI. Useful arts: 1. Primitive man and his needs; 2. Crushing instruments; 3. Cloth-dressing; 4. The stopper; 5. The principle of the spring; 6. Spiral and ringed tissues; 7. Food and comfort; 8. Domestic comfort; 9. Artificial warmth; 10. Water, and means of procuring it; 11. Aerostatics; 12. The cassava press etc.; 12. Telescopic tubes; 14. Paper and its many uses; 15. Electricity; 16. Tillage; 17. Oscillation; Part VII. Acoustics: 1. Percussion.

The Victorian clergyman J. G. Wood was a prolific author who was hugely influential in popularising natural history. In this entertaining book, first published in 1877, he examines the parallels between nature and human inventions in areas as diverse as boating, electricity, war and sewage disposal.