A SWIFT-WINGED TRIBE. 109 



speedy movement — tlie form tliat men liave 

 found makes the swiftest sailing vessels. 



Besides, they have very small and weak 

 feet, so that they have little temptation to walk 

 about on the ground ^ or stand on perches for a 

 long time. Yet they can cling to upright and 

 even projecting walls if there are any protuber- 

 ances, because their feet are foiTaed for that 

 purpose, and their tail feathers are so stiff that 

 they help to brace their bodies. Their sight 

 is very keen ; they can espy a tiny insect afar 

 off even while bounding swiftly through the 

 air. Their mouths are wide at the gape, and 

 so are their gullets, and this aids them in catch- 

 ing and swallowing their food while on the 

 wing. 



You have often seen them flying swiftly 

 over the surface of a river, pond, or lake, some- 

 times dipping lightly into the water. Perhaps 

 their purpose in grazing the water is to rinse 

 their plumes, but their main object in these 

 lono:, reachino^ flisfhts is to catch the insects that 

 rise from the surface of the water. I have 

 often watched them taking their meals in this 

 way, especially of an evening. A small, white, 

 fuzzy insect starts up slowly from the water, 

 probably trying its gauzy wings for the first 

 time, but it does not rise more than a few feet 



