FLIGHT OF DUCKS. 509 



been made to test the birds' flight. The older natural- 

 ists, recording the capture of passenger pigeons in New 

 York with undigested rice in their crops, believed to 

 have been obtained in the rice fields of Georgia, made 

 estimates as to the time required to cover the distance 

 and the consequent speed of the bird in flight. The 

 process of digestion in all birds is rapid, but it is not 

 known that this process goes on during the time of 

 flight or when the bird is actively exerting itself. 



Not very long ago an interesting observation on the 

 flight of the pintail duck was reported by Mr. George 

 Bird, of New York, whose interest in all matters per- 

 taining to shooting and whose wide experience are 

 sufficiently well known. 



The observation, while it does not give the speed at 

 which the particular species reported on flies, does show 

 that it easily flies at a speed of over sixty miles an hour. 



In March, 1899, Mr. Bird was traveling through the 

 Southwest on a special train over the M., K. & T. R. R. 

 From a slough in the prairie at the side of the track 

 several pintail ducks sprang into the air and flew along 

 parallel with the train. Mr. Bird watched them for a 

 moment or two, and then, seeing that they were flying 

 at about the same rate as the train, it occurred to him 

 to look at the speed gauge, which he had been consult- 

 ing but a moment before. The train was running at 

 the rate of fifty-two miles per hour, and the birds were 

 swinging along beside it and not more than forty yards 

 distant, 



A moment or two later they seemed disposed to leave 



