It will be seen that the femurs, _a_, _a_, would have to swing forward to a right angle with the trunk of the body—that is, perpendicular to the plane of the paper—before we could sit upon the bones nature intended,—to wit, on the tuberosities of the ischia, _e_, _e_, or promontories of the pelvis. This position can be partially obtained in horseback riding by the spread of the legs over the saddle. When sitting upon a chair or buggy-seat, our weight is entirely upon the right bones in the right way, but upon the bicycle this posture cannot be attained except, possibly, in the act of coasting on the Ordinary with the legs over the handle-bar. It must be observed, in working the bicycle, that the legs are nearly straight down and the feet almost as close together as when walking; hence, unless a man is enormously bow-legged, he cannot obtain a rest upon the proper bones, as will be seen from the drawing, which shows the position of the body while working the pedals. The coaster on the Ordinary can sit back upon the broad part of the saddle, and how keenly he appreciates the relief immediately felt when he throws his legs over the handles! It will be noticed that in the action of the bicycle saddle, shown by the dotted lines _b_, _b_, the narrow part of the saddle rests in an angle, _c_, formed by the pubic bones, which are joined together at the apex of the angle by a tissue the doctors call the pubic symphysis. The saddle forms a wedge between these bones and tends to spread them; and though this wedging action can be modified to some extent, it is still vicious. The broad part of the saddle catches a small proportion of the downward pressure upon the tuberosities of the ischia directly, but this is only attained by severely distorting the fleshy parts, as shown by the dotted lines _b_, _b_. The body must evidently be supported by the bones somewhere; we cannot hang upon mere flesh; and it is doubtful if ever a saddle can be devised that will be entirely natural and hygienic; hence it is all-important to rest the weight as much as possible on the only other available support, the feet. This can be done by keeping well over the work and resting upon the pedals, and, above all by using good lively springs in connection with the saddle-support. Here again we come upon the question of proper springs, and find it has an element of health connected therewith as well as one of momentum, as hereinbefore treated of. [Illustration: Bicycle saddle and anatomy.]