Vol. XXVI 

 1909 



Townsend, Position of Birds' Feet in Flight. Ill 



bird, while sailing about with both feet behind, dropt them, shook 

 them, and then inserted both in the feathers of the breast. Some- 

 times the feet carried forward show plainly, at other times they are 

 buried all but the toes which appear as dark nobs, and again they 

 are entirely concealed in the feathers of the breast, so that the bird 

 appears to be destitute of feet. Birds with one foot concealed in 

 front and one carried behind appear to have only one foot. I have 

 noticed the habit both in the immature and in the adult Gulls. 



I once saw a Common Tern bring one foot forward and scratch 

 its head during flight — a surprising performance. 



Tubinaees. I have never had the opportunity to observe the 

 Albatross family but Barrett-Hamilton (4), in speaking of the flight 

 of an Albatross with its feet stretched out backwards, says: "The 

 legs are frequently moved as if to act as a rudder or to lessen the 

 bird's pace — for example, when descending." 



<The Shearwaters usually skim so close to the water that their 

 short feet are concealed, and I have not noted them during flight. 



Of the Petrels, I have observed the feet extending beyond the 

 tail in Wilson's Petrel, and have discovered that this is an ex- 

 cellent field mark to distinguish this species from Leach's Petrel, 

 where the short feet are concealed below the tail, not even extending 

 beyond the fork (19). This fact has also been noted by Riley (16). 



Steganopodes. The Gannets, Cormorants, Pelicans, Tropic 

 and Man-o'-War Birds all carry their feet behind. Many photo- 

 graphs by Chapman, Job and others show this point. 



Anseres. All the Ducks, Geese and Swans carry their feet 

 behind, a point that is easily observed in some species. When they 

 alight in the water, the feet are dropped and carried forward wide 

 apart to break their fall. Meade- Waldo (15) states that he once 

 saw a Mallard carry its feet in front during flight, just as has al- 

 ready been described in the case of the Gulls. 



Odontogloss^e. Chapman's photographs of Flamingos show 

 the legs held behind in flight. 



Herodiones. The dexterity with which the Herons manage 

 their ungainly legs, stretching them out behind in flight, is familiar 

 to all. I once saw a Great Blue Heron attacked in mid-air from 

 the rear by a screaming Tern. The Heron was so startled that it 

 dropt for a moment its long legs, and stretched out and around 

 its snake-like neck. That Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills carry 



