114 Townsend, Position of Birds' Feet in Flight. [Aril 



for they build their nests on tall poles, erected for their convenience 

 in barn-yards, and allow inspection at close range. Under these 

 circumstances one can easily see that the legs are extended behind 

 in flight, — and carried close under the tail. On one occasion I 

 watched two Red-shouldered Hawks soaring together. In one 

 the feet were stretched close under the tail, while the other had 

 dropped them slightly, so that daylight was visible between the 

 tail and the feet. A Sparrow Hawk that flew by me at Ipswich 

 within 30 yards, showed the feet trailing behind, with a distinct gap 

 between the tail and the legs, very much as in the St. Gaudens 

 design. 



The only observation I have made in the Owl family, was in the 

 case of a Great Horned Owl that I watched flying about in one of 

 Mr. John E. Thayer's large cages. In this case the legs were drawn 

 to the rear and not forward, and the faster the bird flew the more 

 the legs were extended behind. Meade- Waldo (15) states that the 

 legs of Owls are carried behind, and Finley (7) has published an 

 interesting photograph of a Barn Owl in full flight, where the legs 

 are plainly extended behind. Mr. F. H. Kennard tells me that 

 some Barred Owls that he kept always extended their feet behind 

 in flight. 



Psittaci. Finn (8) has observed the feet carried behind in the 

 Indian Parrot, Palceornis torquatus. Beebe (5) says of the Finsch 

 Amazon Parrots in flight: "Each little foot clinched tightly close 

 to the tail feathers." 



Coccyges. Finn (8) by careful and long observations has 

 determined that both Cuckoos and Kingfishers carry the feet 

 behind. He observed birds in the wild state and also when con- 

 fined in rooms for this purpose. 



77. Birds that carry the feet drawn up in front. 



In our review of the orders of North American birds, all have 

 been considered but these, namely: Pici, Macrochires and Passeres. 



Pic i. The observations of Finn (8) are the only ones that I can 

 find in this order. He has observed a Woodpecker carrying the 

 feet in front in flight. I have often endeavored to determine this 

 point in the Flicker, but have been as yet unable to do so. 



