STARTING 55 
Muscles. 
To rise in air before he has got up pace is hard 
work for any bird unless he can get the wind to 
help him, for a great strain is put upon the muscle 
that lifts the wing. And here I may call attention 
to the remarkable development of the Elevator 
muscle in the Pheasant. Its weight amounts to 
nearly one-third of that of the Depressor. It is 
very pale and has little lasting power, but for a 
brief effort it is very effective. Its development 
in the Duck is considerable, but not equal to what 
is found in the Pheasant. As soon as the bird 
begins to travel rapidly, there comes an easier time 
for the overtaxed Elevator, for the resistance of 
the air to the onward impetus is sufficient to lift 
the wings, and the impetus is due mainly to the 
work of the great Depressor muscle. Hence the 
Depressor not only lowers the wing, but indirectly 
lifts it. "The Elevator is not fitted for long-sustained 
effort. The Depressor is a redder, rougher, more 
granulated muscle, and its different colour and 
texture are indicative of superior quality.* 
Big Birds and Small. 
As a rule, when a small bird flies, his line of 
flight is undulating. For him to rise is easy; a 
few strong, rapid strokes lift him. He then partly 
flexes his wings and glides onward and slightly 
downward. This is very noticeable in the case of 
the Woodpecker. He flexes his wings more than 
most birds, and so the dipping character of his flight 
* For more on this subject, sce p. 45 and Chap. vir: Muscles. 
