goshawk illustrated in this book. The pigeon, and some other 
birds seem further to spread out the long, stiff quills borne by 
the thumb, which form what is known as the “ bastard-wing.” 
This turning movement is well shown, again, in the very 
realistic coloured picture of the woodcock turning in mid-air, 
and bearing too the burden of one of its nestlings. 
If it is difficult to satisfy oneself as to the way in which a 
bird alights, it is no less so to detect its movements in taking 
wing. Most of us must have seen sparrows making this effort from 
the road, thousands of times. But ask of anyone, How is it done? 
The act takes place so quickly that the eye cannot follow its 
execution. And what is true of the sparrow is true of most birds. 
But there are some where this is not the case. Many water- 
birds, the cormorant, for example, get under way but slowly, 
and with evident effort. They flap along the surface for some 
distance before they gain sufficient impetus to lift them into the 
air. And there are many long-winged, short-legged birds which 
can rise from a level surface only with great difficulty, or not at 
all. The swift is one of these, for its legs are excessively short. 
The albatross is another: and this is true, indeed, of many of the 
petrel-tribe. The puffin, again, seems unable to rise on the wing 
from the ground. It appears invariably to run along until it 
reaches the edge of cliff which lodges its burrow, and then, as it 
were, throw itself over the edge. The heron, when springing 
39 
