Scott Pitnick, a biologist at Syracuse University in New York, discovered that bat species with larger brains have smaller testicles.
The male who ejaculates the greatest number of sperm may win at this game, and hence many bats have evolved outrageously big testes," Pitnick said. "Because they live on an energetic knife-edge, bats may not be able to evolutionarily afford both big testes and big brains."
That's a handy explanation for a lot of men, I'd imagine! http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/051208_bat_testes.html
if you follow the link to the article, whatever you do DO NOT click the link for further pictures of bat genitalia, no matter how morbidly curious or perverted you are. i guarantee you will regret it...
You step on the flat tabs around the top to drive it into the ground like a triple shovel. You attach a rope to the eye in the middle and pull up to remove the device from the hole. Pulling in the center causes the hinged center bits to contract; the curved rods holding the top together slide through their fittings enabling the top to expand; the whole construction grasps the dirt it surrounds enabling you to pull all that dirt from the hole.
It is a form used to make barrels. By compressing the handles on the inside, it expands and retracts the wooden panels from the inside of the barrel as it is being made.
As the previous poster said, it's for digging holes...more specifically, I believe it's for digging water wells. It would be lowered into a well on a rope and a worker or workers at the bottom would step on the tabs to press it into the soil to get another bite. When pulled up with the rope (tied to the center loop) the bottom closes together pulling the soil up with it.
Upon closer inspection, it would be difficult aerodynamically for this design to dispell air efficiently, but very able to raise, lower and CHURN fresh cows' milk into a thick slurry that, upon refrigeration, would thereafter be called Butter.
I think it was used to fill bags. Put it in the bag and it would hold it open while filling. Then upon retraction by the center eye the sides of the device would pull in a bit allowing removal of the device.
Its a retention device for lifting (or lowering) cylindercal objects like pipes with one rope or cable. It goes in the cylinder, spread the tangs, rope or hook goes in the eyelet.
At 11" in diameter it would be too narrow to stretch a top hat. The handles inside seem to push the wooden blades out, not in, so it wouldn't be for gripping and wooden blades wouldn't work for digging. I think it is much like a shoe tree but made to keep the upper segment of riding boots in proper shape.
Comments (4)
You step on the flat tabs around the top to drive it into the ground like a triple shovel. You attach a rope to the eye in the middle and pull up to remove the device from the hole. Pulling in the center causes the hinged center bits to contract; the curved rods holding the top together slide through their fittings enabling the top to expand; the whole construction grasps the dirt it surrounds enabling you to pull all that dirt from the hole.
I doubt it's for digging holes, if this were the case i would think the "blades" would be metal.
So there