270 THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE OF BIRDS chap. 



kilometres, or 160 English miles, and in ninety minutes 

 from the time of its liberation at Paris it was back 

 again. It had maintained an average pace of 106 

 miles per hour ! 1 This may appear startling, but the 

 figures may possibly be correct. It must be remem- 

 bered that the Swallow is better built for rapid flight 

 than the Pigeon. Of the velocity attained by the 

 Swift, who in his flight is very like the Swallow, 

 though probably more than his match, many people 

 have arrived at a much higher estimate. 



A few years ago some experiments of indisputable 

 accuracy were made in a range constructed for experi- 

 mental shooting. Two " screens " formed of very 

 fine threads were put up at a distance of forty yards 

 from one another. These screens were connected 

 with electrical apparatus, by means of which the time 

 occupied by the bird in traversing the forty yards was 

 registered. The highest speed attained by any of the 

 twelve Pigeons experimented on was at the rate of 

 33S miles per hour, the lowest at the rate of 26* 1. 

 This is much lower than we should have expected, 

 considering that the " screens " were placed at the 

 farther end of the gallery in order to allow the birds 

 to get up pace. The velocity of four Pigeons was 

 measured in the open on a calm day by persons 

 stationed at a certain distance from one another, who 

 marked carefully the moment at which the birds came 

 opposite to them and registered it with a stop watch. 



1 See an article quoted from the Globe in the Zoologist for 

 1889, p. 397. In the Hoinifig News for September 13, 1889, is 

 an account, apparently, of the same flight, the distance being 

 given as 250 kilometres. 



