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 very
quick; that of M. Gay-Lussac, which is 62 in the minute on
ordinary occasions, now gave 80; and mine, which is ordinarily
89, gave 111. This acceleration was felt by both of us in nearly
the same proportion. Nevertheless, our respiration was in no way
interfered with, we experienced no illness, and our situation
seemed to us extremely agreeable.
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