II. THE SWALLOW. 73 



yourselves, as far as the mere resolution of 

 forcf- is concerned. My business, as a 

 painter, is only with the exquisite organic 

 weapon that deals with it. 



6^. Of which you are now to note farther, 

 that a bird is required to manage his wing 

 so as to obtain two results with one blow : — 

 he has to keep himself up, as well as to get 

 along. 



But observe, he only requires to keep him- 

 self up because he has to get along. The 

 buoyancy might have been given at once, if 

 nature had wanted tJiat only ; she might have 

 blown the feathers up with the hot air of the 

 breath, till the bird rose in air like a cork 

 in water. But it has to be, not a buoyant 

 cork, but a buoyant bullet. And therefore 

 that it may have momentum for pace, it 

 must have weight to carry ; and to carry 

 that weight, the wings must deliver their 

 blow with effective vertical, as well as oblique, 

 force. 



Here, again, you may take the matter in 

 brief sum. Whatever is the ship's loss, is the 

 bird's gain ; whatever tendency the ship has 

 to leeway, is all given to the bird's support, so 



