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rates of velocity and distances traversed have been recorded. Thus 
Mr. Charles Boner states, in his ‘ Forest Creatures,’ that the flight of 
the Kagle is sixty feet per second, being at the rate of somewhat 
more than forty miles per hour; and my friend W. White Cooper 
mentions, in his ‘ Zoological Notes and Anecdotes,’ that ‘the flight 
of a Hawk is calculated at one hundred and fifty miles an hour; 
and the anecdote of the Falcon belonging to Henry LY. of France, 
which flew, in one day, from Fontainebleau to Malta, a distance of 
thirteen hundred and fifty miles, is well authenticated.” 
Mr, Harting, in his interesting ‘Ornithology of Shakespeare,’ men- 
tions that the flight of the Common Swallow (Hirundo rustica) has 
been computed to be at the rate of ninety miles an hour. If this be 
a just computation, that of the Alpine Swift must be twice as great ; 
but these are as nothing when compared with the velocity of the 
Frigate-bird (Tachypetes aquilus), which, says Audubon, ‘is possessed 
of a power of flight I conceive superior to that of perhaps any other 
bird. However swiftly the Cayenne Tern, the smaller Gulls, or the 
Jager moye on the wing, it seems a matter of mere sport to it to 
overtake any of them.” 
«‘There are two facts observable in all birds of great and long- 
sustained powers of flight,” remarks the Duke of Argyll, in his 
admirable ‘ Reign of Law:’ “ the first is that they are always provided 
with wings which are rather long than broad, and sometimes ex- 
tremely narrow in proportion tu their length; the second is that the 
wings are always sharply pointed at the ends. Let us look at the 
mechanical laws which absolutely require this structure for the pur- 
pose of powerful flight, and to meet which it has accordingly been 
devised and provided. One law appealed to in making wings rather 
long than broad is simply the law of leverage ..... and a long 
wing is nothing but a long lever. The mechanical principle or law, 
as is well known, is this:—that a very small amount of motion (or 
motion through a very small space) at the short end of a lever, pro- 
duces a great amount of motion (through a long space) at the opposite 
or longer end. This action requires, indeed, a very intense force to 
be applied at the shorter end ; but it applies that force with immense 
advantage for the purpose in view, because the motion which is trans- 
mitted to the end of a long wing is a motion acting at that point 
through a long space, and is therefore equivalent to a very heavy 
weight lifted through a short space at the end which is attached to 
the body of the bird. Now, this is precisely what is required for 
the purpose of flight.” The preceding extract is sufficient for my 
present purpose ; but my readers will find many other interesting 
remarks, on the laws affecting and governing the flight of birds, in 
the work above mentioned, to which I would earnestly direct their 
attention. 
Birds, like other animals, are endowed with the usual senses; but 
these vary in degree of perfection in accordance with the variety in 
their habits. That that of sight is very highly developed is amply 
testified in the Kestrel, whose eyes must be almost telescopic to 
enable it to see an insect or a mouse on the ground from the great 
