STARTING 55 



Muscles. 

 To rise in air before he has got up pace is hard 

 work for any bird unless he can get the wind to 

 help him, for a great strain is put upon the muscle 

 that lifts the wing. And here I may call attention 

 to the remarkable development of the Elevator 

 muscle in the Pheasant. Its weight amounts to 

 nearly one-third of that of the Depressor. It is 

 very pale and has little lasting power, but for a 

 brief effort it is very effective. Its development 

 in the Duck is considerable, but not equal to what 

 is found in the Pheasant. As soon as the bird 

 begins to travel rapidly, there comes an easier time 

 for the overtaxed Elevator, for the resistance of 

 the air to the onward impetus is sufficient to lift 

 the wings, and the impetus is due mainly to the 

 work of the great Depressor muscle. Hence the 

 Depressor not only lowers the wing, but indirectly 

 lifts it. The Elevator is not fitted for long-sustained 

 effort. The Depressor is a redder, rougher, more 

 granulated muscle, and its different colour and 

 texture are indicative of superior quality.* 



Big Birds and Small. 



As a rule, when a small bird flies, his line of 

 flight is undulating. For him to rise is easy ; a 

 few strong, rapid strokes lift him. He then partly 

 flexes his wings and glides onward and slightly 

 downward. This is very noticeable in the case of 

 the Woodpecker. He flexes his wings more than 

 most birds, and so the dipping character of his flight 



* For more on this subject, see p. 45 and Chap, vii : Muscles. 



