Posting en route to a few days automata making at the Venice Biennale with Homo Faber: Leaping Lion with unnerving growl. French Automaton c.1930 R&D. The heavy clockwork mechanism stores energy direct from the mainspring arbor into a strong coil spring the length of the body. The jump is initiated by a drop off trigger in the same manner as a Grasshopper or Cricket. The growl is sounded by a quill attached to the centre of a small drum, the quill is ‘flicked’ by the spinning fly governor of the