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Import Settings:
Base Settings: Brownstone Default
Information Field: Difficulty
Information Field: SectionDef
Highest Answer Letter: E
Multiple Keywords in Same Paragraph: No
Chapter: Chapter 9
Multiple Choice
1. Complete the following statement: When a net torque is applied to a rigid object, it always
produces a
A) constant acceleration.
B) rotational equilibrium.
C) constant angular velocity.
D) constant angular momentum.
E) change in angular velocity.
Ans: E
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-1
2. A wrench is used to tighten a nut as shown in the figure. A 12-N force is applied 7.0 cm
from the axis of rotation. What is the magnitude of the torque due to the applied force?
A) 0.58 N m
B) 0.84 N m
C) 1.71 N m
D) 14 N m
E) 58 N m
Ans: B
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-1
3. A string is tied to a doorknob 0.72 m from the hinge as illustrated in the figure. At the
instant shown, the force applied to the string is 5.0 N. What is the magnitude of the torque on
the door?
A) 2.1 N m
B) 3.0 N m
C) 1.0 N m
D) 0.78 N m
E) 0.60 N m
Ans: B
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-1
4. A uniform 13-kg trap door is oriented horizontally and hinged as shown. What is the
magnitude of the torque on the door at the instant that the release is activated and the door can
freely rotate?
A) 4.9 N m
B) 9.8 N m
C) 48 N m
D) 72 N m
E) 96 N m
Ans: C
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-1
Ans: D
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
6. A horizontal, 10-m plank weighs 100 N. It rests on two supports that are placed 1.0 m from
each end as shown in the figure. How close to one end can an 800-N person stand without
causing the plank to tip?
A) 0m
B) 0.3 m
C) 0.5 m
D) 0.7 m
E) 0.9 m
Ans: C
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
7. A 3.0-kg ball and a 1.0-kg ball are placed at opposite ends of a massless beam so that the
system is in equilibrium as shown. Note: The drawing is not drawn to scale. What is the value
of the ratio of the lengths, b/a?
A) 2.0
B) 2.5
C) 3.0
D) 4.0
E) 5.0
Ans: D
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
8. One end of a rope is tied to the handle of a horizontally-oriented and uniform door. A force
F is applied to the other end of the rope as shown in the drawing. The door has a weight of 145
N and is hinged on the right. What is the maximum magnitude of F for which the door will
remain at rest?
A) 145 N
B) 265 N
C) 381 N
D) 424 N
E) 530 N
Ans: B
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
9. A meter stick is pivoted at the 0.50-m line. A 3.0-kg object is hung from the 0.15-m line.
Where should a 5.0-kg object be hung to achieve equilibrium (the meter stick oriented horizontal
and motionless)?
A) 0.06-m line
B) 0.24-m line
C) 0.56-m line
D) 0.71-m line
E) A 5.0-kg object cannot be placed anywhere on the meter stick to result in equilibrium in this
system.
Ans: D
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
10. In the drawing shown, the large wheel has a radius of 7.1 m. A rope is wrapped around the
edge of the wheel and a 7.6 kg-box hangs from the rope. A smaller disk of radius 1.38 m is
attached to the wheel. A rope is wrapped around the edge of the disk as shown. An axis of
rotation passes through the center of the wheel-disk system. What is the value of the mass M
that will prevent the wheel from rotating?
A) 34 kg
B) 12 kg
C) 17 kg
D) 39 kg
E) 46 kg
Ans: D
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
An 80-kg man balances the boy on a teeter-totter as shown. Note: Ignore the weight of the
board.
Ans: B
Refer To: Ref 9-1
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
12. What, approximately, is the magnitude of the downward force exerted on the fulcrum?
A) zero newtons
B) 100 N
C) 600 N
D) 800 N
E) 1000 N
Ans: E
Refer To: Ref 9-1
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
13. Which one of the following statements most accurately describes the center of gravity of an
object?
A) It is the point where gravity acts on the object.
B) It is the point where all the mass is concentrated.
C) It must be experimentally determined for all objects.
D) It is the point on the object where all the weight is concentrated.
E) It is the point from which the torque produced by the weight of the object can be calculated.
Ans: E
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
14. Consider four point masses located as shown in the sketch. The acceleration due to gravity
is the same everywhere. What is the x coordinate of the center of gravity for this system?
A) 2.0 m
B) 2.7 m
C) 3.0 m
D) 3.3 m
E) 3.8 m
Ans: C
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
15. Three objects are positioned along the x axis as follows: 4.4 kg at x = + 1.1 m, 3.7 kg at x =
–0.80 m, and 2.9 kg at x = –1.6 m. The acceleration due to gravity is the same everywhere.
What is the distance from the location of the center of gravity to the location of the center of
mass for this system?
A) zero meters
B) –0.52 m
C) –0.26 m
D) +0.26 m
E) +0.52 m
Ans: A
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
16. A 14-kg beam is hinged at one end. A 6.0-kg triangular object and a 7.5-kg I-shaped
object are positioned as shown. Dots indicate the individual centers of gravity of the beam and
the two objects. What is the distance from the axis of rotation to the center of gravity for this
system?
A) 1.3 m
B) 1.1 m
C) 0.96 m
D) 0.89 m
E) 0.71 m
Ans: A
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-2 and 9-3
17. Consider the following four objects: a hoop, a flat disk, a solid sphere, and a hollow sphere.
Each of the objects has mass M and radius R. The axis of rotation passes through the center of
each object, and is perpendicular to the plane of the hoop and the plane of the flat disk. Which
of these objects requires the largest torque to give it the same angular acceleration?
A) the solid sphere
B) the hollow sphere
C) the hoop
D) the flat disk
E) both the solid and the hollow spheres
Ans: C
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-4
18. A 66-N m torque acts on a wheel with a moment of inertia 175 kg m2. If the wheel starts
from rest, how long will it take the wheel to make one revolution?
A) 0.37 s
B) 0.71 s
C) 2.4 s
D) 5.8 s
E) 6.9 s
Ans: D
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-4
19. A string is wrapped around a pulley of radius 0.05 m and moment of inertia 0.2 kg m2.
If the string is pulled with a force F , the resulting angular acceleration of the pulley is 2 rad/s2.
Determine the magnitude of the force F .
A) 0.4 N
B) 2N
C) 8N
D) 16 N
E) 40 N
Ans: C
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-4
20. A massless frame in the shape of a square with 2-m sides has a 1-kg ball at each corner.
What is the moment of inertia of the four balls about an axis through the corner marked O and
perpendicular to the plane of the paper?
A) 4 kg m2
B) 8 kg m2
C) 10 kg m2
D) 12 kg m2
E) 16 kg m2
Ans: E
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-4
21. A certain merry-go-round is accelerated uniformly from rest and attains an angular speed of
1.2 rad/s in the first 18 seconds. If the net applied torque is 1200 N m, what is the moment
of inertia of the merry-go-round?
A) 1400 kg m2
B) 18 000 kg m2
C) 9000 kg m2
D) 500 kg m2
E) This cannot be determined since the radius is not specified.
Ans: B
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-4
22. The drawing shows the top view of a door that is 1.68 m wide. Two forces are applied to
the door as indicated. What is the magnitude of the net torque on the door with respect to the
hinge?
A) 0Nm
B) 4.4 N m
C) 8.3 N m
D) 9.1 N m
E) 11 N m
Ans: C
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-4
23. Which one of the following statements concerning the moment of inertia I is false?
A) I may be expressed in units of kg m2.
B) I depends on the angular acceleration of the object as it rotates.
C) I depends on the location of the rotation axis relative to the particles that make up the object.
D) I depends on the orientation of the rotation axis relative to the particles that make up the
object.
E) Of the particles that make up an object, the particle with the smallest mass may contribute
the greatest amount to I.
Ans: B
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-4
24. Two uniform solid spheres, A and B have the same mass. The radius of sphere B is twice
that of sphere A. The axis of rotation passes through each sphere. Which one of the following
statements concerning the moments of inertia of these spheres is true?
A) The moment of inertia of A is one-fourth that of B.
B) The moment of inertia of A is one-half that of B.
C) The moment of inertia of A is 5/4 that of B.
D) The moment of inertia of A is 5/2 that of B.
E) The two spheres have equal moments of inertia.
Ans: A
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-4
25. Three objects are attached to a massless rigid rod that has an axis of rotation as shown.
Assuming all of the mass of each object is located at the point shown for each, calculate the
moment of inertia of this system.
A) 1.3 kg m2
B) 3.1 kg m2
C) 5.3 kg m2
D) 7.2 kg m2
E) 9.1 kg m2
Ans: E
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-4
26. Three children are pulling on a rotatable platform on a playground. The platform has a
radius of 3.80 m. In the picture, two children are pulling with equal forces of 40.0 N in an
attempt to make the platform rotate clockwise. The third child applies a force of 60 N as shown.
What is the net torque on the platform? Note: “ccw” is counterclockwise and “cw” is
clockwise.
A) 76 N m, ccw
B) 76 N m, cw
C) 290 N m, ccw
D) 290 N m, cw
E) 0Nm
Ans: B
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-4
27. A string is wrapped around a pulley of radius 0.20 m and moment of inertia 0.40 kg m2.
The string is pulled with a force of 28 N. What is the magnitude of the resulting angular
acceleration of the pulley?
A) 22 rad/s2
B) 14 rad/s2
C) 68 rad/s2
D) 0.55 rad/s2
E) 8.0 rad/s2
Ans: B
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-4
28. A 45-N brick is suspended by a light string from a 2.0-kg pulley. The brick is released
from rest and falls to the floor below as the pulley rotates through 5.0 rad. The pulley may be
considered a solid disk of radius 1.5 m. What is the angular speed of the pulley?
A) 17 rad/s
B) 15 rad/s
C) 9.4 rad/s
D) 8.1 rad/s
E) 7.3 rad/s
Ans: A
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-4
29. A hollow cylinder of mass M and radius R rolls down an inclined plane. A block of mass
M easily slides down an identical inclined plane. Complete the following statement: If both
objects are released at the same time from the top of their inclined planes,
A) the cylinder will reach the bottom first.
B) the block will reach the bottom first.
C) the block will reach the bottom with the greater kinetic energy.
D) the cylinder will reach the bottom with the greater kinetic energy.
E) both the block and the cylinder will reach the bottom at the same time.
Ans: B
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-5
30. A solid sphere and a hollow sphere each of mass M and radius R are released at the same
time from the top of an inclined plane. Which one of the following statements is necessarily
true?
A) The solid sphere will reach the bottom first.
B) The hollow sphere will reach the bottom first.
C) Both spheres will reach the bottom at the same time.
D) The solid sphere will reach the bottom with the greater kinetic energy.
E) The hollow sphere will reach the bottom with the greater kinetic energy.
Ans: A
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-5
31. Consider the following three objects, each of the same mass and radius:
(1) a solid sphere (2) a solid disk (3) a hoop
All three are released from rest at the top of an inclined plane. The three objects proceed down
the incline undergoing rolling motion without slipping. In which order do the objects reach the
bottom of the incline?
A) 3, 1, 2
B) 2, 3, 1
C) 1, 2, 3
D) 3, 2, 1
E) All three reach the bottom at the same time.
Ans: C
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-5
32. A rider on a motorcycle that has a mass of 195 kg is traveling with a speed of 24 m/s.
Each of the two wheels of the motorcycle has a radius of 0.29 m and a moment of inertia of 0.46
kg m2. What is the approximate total rotational kinetic energy of the wheels?
A) 800 J
B) 1100 J
C) 1500 J
D) 3200 J
E) 4100 J
Ans: D
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-5
33. A 1.0-kg wheel in the form of a solid disk rolls along a horizontal surface with a speed of
6.0 m/s. What is the total kinetic energy of the wheel?
A) 9.0 J
B) 18 J
C) 27 J
D) 36 J
E) 54 J
Ans: C
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-5
34. A 2.0-kg solid cylinder of radius 0.5 m rotates at a rate of 40 rad/s about its cylindrical axis.
What power is required to bring the cylinder to rest in 10 s?
A) 20 W
B) 40 W
C) 160 W
D) 200 W
E) 400 W
Ans: A
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-5
35. A solid cylinder of radius 0.35 m is released from rest from a height of 1.8 m and rolls
down the incline as shown. What is the angular speed of the cylinder when it reaches the
horizontal surface?
A) 8.2 rad/s
B) 14 rad/s
C) 34 rad/s
D) 67 rad/s
E) This cannot be determined because the mass is unknown.
Ans: B
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-5
36. A solid sphere rolls without slipping along a horizontal surface. What percentage of its
total kinetic energy is rotational kinetic energy?
A) 33 %
B) 50 %
C) 12 %
D) 75 %
E) 29 %
Ans: E
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-5
37. A hollow sphere of radius 0.25 m is rotating at 13 rad/s about an axis that passes through its
center. The mass of the sphere is 3.8 kg. Assuming a constant net torque is applied to the
sphere, how much work is required to bring the sphere to a stop?
A) 1.0 J
B) 3.8 J
C) 13 J
D) 25 J
E) 38 J
Ans: C
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-5
38. A ceiling fan has five blades, each with a mass of 0.34 kg and a length of 0.66 m. The fan
is operating in its “low” setting at which the angular speed is 9.4 rad/s. If the blades can be
approximated as uniform thin rods that rotate about one end, what is the total rotational kinetic
energy of the five blades?
A) 35 J
B) 29 J
C) 23 J
D) 17 J
E) 11 J
Ans: E
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-5
39. A solid cylinder with a mass m and radius r is mounted so that it can be rotated about an
axis that passes through the center of both ends. At what angular speed must the cylinder
rotate to have the same total kinetic energy that it would have if it were moving horizontally with
a speed v without rotation?
v
=
A) r
v2
=
B) r2
v
=
C) 2r
v
= 2
D) r
v2
=
E) 2r
Ans: D
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-5
40. A child standing on the edge of a freely spinning merry-go-round moves quickly to the
center. Which one of the following statements is necessarily true concerning this event and
why?
A) The angular speed of the system decreases because the moment of inertia of the system has
increased.
B) The angular speed of the system increases because the moment of inertia of the system has
increased.
C) The angular speed of the system decreases because the moment of inertia of the system has
decreased.
D) The angular speed of the system increases because the moment of inertia of the system has
decreased.
E) The angular speed of the system remains the same because the net torque on the
merry-go-round is zero N m.
Ans: D
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-6
41. What happens when a spinning ice skater draws in her outstretched arms?
A) Her angular momentum decreases.
B) Her angular momentum increases.
C) Her moment of inertia decreases causing her to speed up.
D) Her moment of inertia decreases causing her to slow down.
E) The torque that she exerts increases her moment of inertia.
Ans: C
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-6
42. A spinning star begins to collapse under its own gravitational pull. Which one of the
following occurs as the star becomes smaller?
A) The star's angular velocity decreases.
B) The star's angular momentum remains constant.
C) The star's angular momentum increases.
D) The star's angular velocity remains constant.
E) Both the star's angular momentum and its angular velocity remain constant.
Ans: B
Difficulty: Easy
SectionDef: Section 9-6
43. A spinning skater draws in her outstretched arms thereby reducing her moment of inertia by
a factor of 2. Determine the ratio of her final kinetic energy to her initial kinetic energy.
A) 0.5
B) 1
C) 2
D) 4
E) 16
Ans: C
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-6
44. A 1500-kg satellite orbits a planet in a circular orbit of radius 6.2 × 106 m. What is the
angular momentum of the satellite in its orbit around the planet if the satellite completes one
orbit every 1.5 × 104 s?
A) 3.9 × 106 kg m2/s
B) 1.4 × 1014 kg m2/s
C) 6.2 × 108 kg m2/s
D) 8.1 × 1011 kg m2/s
E) 2.4 × 1013 kg m2/s
Ans: E
Difficulty: Hard
SectionDef: Section 9-6
45. A 60.0-kg skater begins a spin with an angular speed of 6.0 rad/s. By changing the
position of her arms, the skater decreases her moment of inertia to one-half its initial value.
What is the skater's final angular speed?
A) 3.0 rad/s
B) 4.5 rad/s
C) 9.0 rad/s
D) 12 rad/s
E) 18 rad/s
Ans: D
Difficulty: Medium
SectionDef: Section 9-6
46. Two equal spheres, labeled A and B in the figure, are attached to a massless rod with a
frictionless pivot at the point P. The system is made to rotate clockwise with angular speed
on a horizontal, frictionless tabletop. Sphere A collides with and sticks to another equal sphere
that is at rest on the tabletop. Note: the masses of all three spheres are equal.
What is the angular speed of the system immediately after the collision?
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migrations; in most cases they are undertaken simply to gratify a
passing desire.
Quite otherwise is it with those mammals which, every year about
the same time, leave their habitat for some other region often far
distant, from which at a definite time they will return to their former
abode. These migrate; for they do not seize a chance opportunity,
but obey, consciously or unconsciously, a compelling necessity.
The fundamental cause of all true migration among mammals, is
some very distinct and decided seasonal change. In countries of
everlasting spring true migrations do not take place, for want is never
imminent. Summer must contrast with winter, whether the latter bring
frost and snow, or heat and drought; scarcity must alternate with
superfluity before the sluggish mammal makes up its mind to
migrate.
To a slight extent migrations take place among all mountain animals.
The chamois, the steinbock, the Alpine hare, the marmot all migrate
when the snow begins to melt, or a little later; they clamber over
hillsides and glaciers to the heights above, where the pasturage,
now laid bare, promises rich and abundant nourishment, and they
return to the lower slopes of the mountain before winter sets in. The
bear, by nature omnivorous, by habit a thief, undertakes a similar
migration at the same season, and completes it before winter sets in,
—at least so it is in the mountains of Siberia; the various wild cats
and dogs which live among the mountains do the same. Such
changes of residence occur also on the mountains of southern
countries, even of those lying within the tropics. In India and Africa
certain species of monkey ascend and descend the mountains at
regular intervals; elephants seek the high grounds on the approach
of summer, the low grounds in winter; on the Andes in South
America the guanacos flee before the snow into the valleys, and
before the summer-heat to the shoulders of the mountains. All these
migrations are confined by the mountains within comparatively
narrow limits. They only involve a change of altitude of from three to
nine thousand feet, or a journey which may be accomplished in a
few hours, or, at most, in a few days. They have, however, the
regularity characteristic of true migrations, especially in the precise
periodicity of their occurrence, and not less in the constant choice of
the same routes.
Highlands and plain, sea and air, offer a much wider field than the
mountains, and therefore the migrations of the animals inhabiting, or
temporarily traversing these can be more easily observed, and they
are more appropriately termed migratory animals than the dwellers
among the mountains. In the tundras of Russia and Siberia, the
reindeer, which, in Scandinavia, never leaves the mountains,
migrates to a great distance every autumn and returns the following
spring to his former summer haunts.[57] About the same time it
leaves Greenland, and, crossing the sea on a bridge of ice, reaches
the continent of America, where it spends the whole winter, only
returning to the hills of its native peninsula the following April. In both
cases, dread of the approaching winter does not seem to be the sole
cause of migration; there is at the same time a further incentive
supplied by a plague much feared in the far north. For the short
summer on these expanses calls to life an insect-world poor in
species, but endlessly rich in individuals, particularly an
indescribable number of mosquitoes and bot-flies, which make life a
burden to the reindeer, as well as to man. To escape these the
reindeer forsakes the marshy tundra, over which dense clouds of
mosquitoes hover during summer, and hies to where the scourge is
less severely felt—to the Alpine heights, which, in the summer
season afford their most fragrant pasturage. From inherited habit,
the reindeer migrate not only at the same time, but along the same
paths, thus forming tracks which may be distinctly traced, traversing
the tundra for many miles, and crossing streams and rivers at
definite places. At the beginning of the journey, the cows with their
calves arrange themselves in herds of from ten to a hundred, and
precede the young stags and hinds, which are followed again by the
old stags. One troop follows directly behind another, and the
observer can count thousands as they pass. All hurry incessantly on,
turning aside neither for the mountains nor the broad streams which
cross their path, and resting only when they have reached their
winter-quarters. Packs of wolves, bears, and gluttons follow close on
their heels and often pursue them no small part of the way. In spring,
on the return journey, the animals keep to the same order, but the
herds are much smaller, and they travel in a much more leisurely
fashion, and keep less strictly to the paths by which they went.
Journeys still longer than those of the reindeer are taken by the
American bison, the “buffalo” of the prairies.[58] What distance
individual animals travel cannot be stated with certainty, but herds in
course of migrating have been met from Canada to Mexico, from the
Missouri to the Rocky Mountains, and it may be assumed that a
single herd traverses a considerable part of the country lying
between these limits. The bisons have been seen in summer
scattered over the boundless prairie, and in winter in the same
places, but assembled in many thousands; their migrations have
been observed, for they have been followed for hundreds of miles
along the tracks—the so-called “buffalo-paths”, trodden out straight
across plains and over mountains. We learn from eye-witnesses that
a stream a mile wide is to them no barrier, scarcely even a
hindrance, for they throw themselves into it like an irresistible
avalanche, so that the water is covered with the dark, moving throng;
that the animals associate and separate again, the herds increase
and diminish; that old, surly, tyrannous, malevolent bulls avoid the
other bisons, having perhaps been expelled from the herd, and
compelled, probably only after protracted struggles, to live in hermit-
fashion until the following summer; and that, during heavy snowfalls,
the herds take shelter in the forests or on the slopes of the
mountains. From July onwards they begin their migrations from the
north towards the south. Small companies, which, till then, have
been leading a comfortable summer life, combine with others and set
out on the journey with them; other troops join the band, which grows
as it presses on, until there is, at length, formed one of those
extraordinary herds which, united till the next spring, moves and acts
as if animated by one soul. When the winter is safely past, the army
gradually breaks up, probably in exactly reverse order, into herds,
and these divide more and more until at length only small companies
are left. This breaking-up takes place during the course of the return
journey. Both in going and returning, one herd follows another at
some distance, but more or less along the same paths. Specially
favourable places, such as low grounds covered with rich grass,
cause a temporary damming up of the living stream. In such places
incalculable herds assemble together, spend days in the same spot,
and break up only again when all the grass has been eaten, and
hunger urges them to continue their journey. As they march the
wolves and bears follow their track, while eagles and vultures, birds
of ill omen, circle over their heads.
Fig. 36.—A Herd of American Bison or Buffalo.
The antelopes, which are also driven out by winter, do not always
follow the same paths, but usually travel in the same direction. None
is more numerous or more frequently seen than the springbok, one
of the most graceful and beautiful gazelles with which we are
acquainted. Its unusual beauty and agility strike everyone who sees
it in its wild state, now walking with elastic step, now standing still to
feed, now springing about in playful leaps, and thus disclosing its
greatest ornament, a mane-like snow-white tuft of hair, which at a
quieter pace is hidden in a longitudinal groove of the back. None of
the other antelopes, when forced to migrate, assemble in such
numerous herds as this one. Even the most vivid description cannot
convey to one who has not seen a herd of springboks on their
journey any adequate idea of the wonderful spectacle. After having
congregated for weeks, perhaps waiting for the first shower of rain,
the springboks at last resolve to migrate. Hundreds of the species
join other hundreds, thousands other thousands, and the more
threatening the scarcity, the more torturing the thirst, the longer the
distances which they cover; the flocks become herds, the herds
armies, and these resemble the swarms of locusts which darken the
sun. In the plains they cover square miles; in the passes between
the mountains they throng together in a compact mass which no
other creature can resist; over the low grounds they pour, like a
stream which has overflowed its banks and carries all before it.
Bewildering, intoxicating, and stupefying even the calmest of men,
the throng surges past for hours, perhaps days together.[61] Like the
greedy locusts, the famishing animals fall upon grass and leaves,
grain, and other fruits of the field; where they have passed, not a
blade is left. The man who comes in contact with them is at once
thrown to the ground, and so sorely wounded by the tread of their
hoofs, light indeed, but a thousand times repeated, that he may be
glad if he escapes with his life; a herd of sheep feeding in the way is
surrounded and carried off, never to be seen again; a lion, who
thought to gain an easy prey, finds himself forced to relinquish his
victim, and to travel with the stream. Unceasingly those behind press
forward, and those in front yield slowly to the pressure; those cooped
up in the middle strive continually to reach the wings, and their
efforts are strenuously resisted. Above the clouds of dust raised by
the rushing army the vultures circle; flanks and rear are attended by
a funeral procession of various beasts of prey; in the passes lurk
sportsmen, who send shot after shot into the throng. So the tortured
animals travel for many miles, till at length spring sets in and their
armies are broken up.
Shall I go on to consider other compulsory migrations, such as those
of the arctic foxes and polar bears when an ice-floe on which they
were hunting is loosened and floated off by the waves till, under
favourable circumstances, it touches some island? I think not, for
journeys such as these are not migrations, they are simply passive
driftings.