THE ARTISTS BIRDS. 207 



tlic subject of portraying birds in motion. How 

 rarely do wc see this correctly done. With some, 

 especially small species, the wings are beaten too 

 rapidly to present any definite shape; and yet we 

 invariably find that when any of these smaller birds 

 are depicted in the act of flight, the artist most 

 erroneously draws the wing- in detail and outline 

 just as though it were at rest. The body and tail 

 of the bird are all that can be seen definitely; the 

 wings appear but haloes of vibrating rays, looking 

 like puffs of mist on either side, so quickly are they 

 moved, just as is the case wdth the wings of a moth 

 or a fly. Larger birds, as a rule, fly more slowly, 

 and the wing-beats are more deliberate ; moreover? 

 they often skim or sail for some distance with no 

 ajjparent effort with the pinions held still and 

 expanded — note the rapid change in the appearance 

 of the wings of a Partridge or a Pigeon as the bird 

 skims or swoops, after flying directly with the 

 wings rapidly beating. A loitering, skimming, or 

 hovering attitude should therefore be selected by 

 the artist in every case w'hen a flying bird is 

 represented, and great discrimination should be 

 used in selecting species for [)ortraval in the air. 



Apropos of ideal scenes of bird-life, the question 

 may possibly arise — Should the artist be allowed 



