Bird Notes and News 



11 



the leader turned. When in small flocks 

 Starlings usually fly more or b^s abreast of 

 each other instead of in a line. 



A covey of Partridges or a pack of Grouse 

 is a good example of well-disciplined flight. 

 When they have occasion to glide they all 

 cease their wing-beats together and resume 

 them at the same moment. A flock of 

 Rooks, although the birds follow the same 

 lines more or less, does not co-operate in its 

 movements, every individual making in- 

 dependently for the same spot. 



The Lapwing as a rule would come under 

 the second heading, but on winter evenings 

 large flocks may be seen in the marshes 

 flying at a great height in a compact and 

 shallow line. Here they keep very well 

 together and present a very pretty effect. 



Linnets, Goldfinches, Chaffinches and the 

 like often congregate in considerable numbers. 

 They have not much flock discipline and they 

 often break into smaller parties. When a 

 flock of birds is distmrbed on the ground they 

 do not, as they appear to do, all get up at 

 once, but wait imtil one of their number 

 takes the lead. In the case of shore birds 

 the leader often runs out a few paces in 

 front of the others and then takes wing. 

 The centre bird of a wedge of Ducks takes the 

 lead, the others taldng their time from him. 



However great the number may be, birds 

 never fly directly behind one another : this 

 is, I suppose, to avoid the backwash of air, 

 which might overbalance them. 



^Vhen I was returning from the South of 

 France two years ago we met with large 

 numbers of Gulls while going up the Channel. 

 The wind was blo^ving nearly north and 

 was consequently almost at right angles to 

 the ship. The ship caused an up-current 

 all along the windward side, and the back- 

 wash of air caused another about tliirty 

 yards beliind. The Gulls following in the 

 hope of scraps were quick to discover and 

 make use of the up-ciirrents. The more 

 wary birds kept beliind in the backwash 

 up-cmrent, while the more adventiurous, 

 chiefly Common Gulls and Kittiwakes, flew 

 over the stern, keeping on the windward 

 side to make use of the up-cmTent. In 

 this cmTcnt they floated over the ship, and 

 for several minutes kept such exact pace 

 that they appeared to be motionless. 

 Occasionally they would correct their balance 



with slight motions of the wings while the 

 tails could be seen constantly at work. 



They all had their bodies inclined slightly 

 towards the wind to prevent loss of position 

 by lee-way. One occasionally did get blown 

 out of his place, and it was interesting to 

 note that immediately he got to the leeward 

 side of the ship he was forced to flap his wings. 



This method of flying behind a sliip, 

 although an everyday occurrence, is a really 

 wonderful sight, and is not easily forgotten 

 when once seen. 



Space permits of but a brief quotation from 

 the Second Prize Essay, by A. F. Bell (Berk- 

 hamsted) — a piece of good field observation. 



There are few things more beautiful than 

 a bird on the wing. I have watched a pair 

 of Kestrels poising over a Welsh hill, moving 

 vertically up and down with wings just 

 vibrating, and then sweeping away on move- 

 less wings and back again to their hovering 

 place, tUl of a sudden one of them would 

 close its wings and drop like a log out of sight 

 to rise again a moment later, leaving one less 

 field-mouse on the earth ; and I have watched 

 the whirlwind flash of a Sparrowhawk in 

 the wake of a fiightened Blackbird, but 

 neither of them compare with the grand 

 wheeling, soaring ffight of a pair of Buzzard 

 Hawks patrolling a valley in Cornwall. 

 Often have I watched them sweep across 

 the valley and then, displajong the whole 

 expanse of their great wings, turn round 

 again and swing across the valley, uttering 

 wild harsh screams all the time. Then, for a 

 change, they would soar in a great spiral up 

 and up until their screams were lost in the 

 skies. Once wliile watching one of these 

 birds reaching his topmost spiral, I noticed 

 a Pigeon flying with liis quick straightforward 

 flight over the wooded hill ; in a moment, 

 like an arrow from the blue, the Buzzard shot 

 downward at his prey ; the Pigeon saw him 

 almost too late, and turning, hurled himself 

 downward for the top of the wood quite close 

 to me. He was almost too late, for I saw 

 the Hawk's legs shoot out from under him 

 for the strike, but at that moment the Pigeon 

 was through the green top of the low wood, 

 and the Hawk, spreading his wings once more, 

 flew angrily away, 



[This Hawk was probably a Peregrine 

 Falcon, not a Buzzard. — Ed.] 



