124 THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS 



start much more than small birds. I have twice 

 seen Snipe, if not, strictly speaking, rise, yet begin 

 horizontal flight with the wind behind them. This 

 shows what a good start a bird that has etrong and 

 fairly long legs gets from his first jump forward and 

 upward from the ground. Things are very different 

 with a Swift or a Puffin, owing to the shortness and 

 feebleness of their legs, or such a bird as the Condor, 

 that has no room when he is starting for the full 

 sweep of his great wings. It is bad starters like 

 these that are in difficulties when there is no wind to 

 help them.* 



Flight with the Wind. 



I have already pointed out that Homing Pigeons 

 make their best " times " when there is a fair breeze 

 blowing in the direction of their flight. And for 

 all birds that fly, not only for Pigeons, there is 

 every reason to believe that a tail-wind means rapid 

 travelling. But what if the wind be a gale ? Some- 

 how or other an idea has grown up that birds cannot 

 fly, or at least do not like flying, with a gale blowing 

 from behind them. It is curious how hard it is to 

 get actual positive evidence for or against. Can we 

 find competent observers who have seen birds racing 

 before a regular gale ? And who has seen anything 

 from which we may reasonably infer that a gale from 

 behind is an abomination to them ? Some people 

 are satisfied that they have settled this question by 

 remarking that " it would, of course, ruffle up their 

 feathers, and it is an undoubted fact that birds 



* If there is anything of a wind, a bird, if flying with it, always 

 wheels round and faces it when he alights, and the prudent 

 aviator follows his example. 



