WINGS OF BIRDS. 287 



regions of the air ; the buzzing bee and the silent butterfly 

 hover from flower to flower ; the flying-fish, darting into another 

 element, eludes the dolphin's pursuit ; and the bat, expanding 

 his broad wings, wheels like a demon of the night in quest of 

 his insect prey. But the low flight of all these creatures is con- 

 fined either to a few moments, or to a narrow sphere ; while 

 the feathered races roam far and wide through the vast realms 

 of the atmosphere, and defy both height and distance with their 

 powerful and unwearied wings. 



According to Humboldt, the condor soars to an elevation of 

 48,000 feet, from whence he would be able to overlook the whole 

 of Great Britain and Ireland, and then again in a few minutes 

 darts down to the level of the sea ; the albatross, quietly facing the 

 gale, bids defiance to the fury of the 'unshackled elements; and 

 the frigate-bird, though frequently met with at the distance of 

 four hundred leagues from land, is said to return every night 

 to his solitary roost. To perform these prodigious flights, these 

 monarchs of the air have been gifted with an enormous spread 

 of wing. Thus the pinions of the albatross extend from ten to 

 thirteen feet, and those of the condor and the frigate-bird 

 measure even still more from end to end ; but even among the 

 smaller birds we find many that divide the air with an astonish- 

 ing swiftness and length of flight. The carrier-pigeon has 

 been known to travel in less than six hours from London to 

 Liege in Belgium ; the fleetest greyhound would be unable to 

 overtake the swallow; and the tiny hummingbird, although 

 generally averse to long migrations, darts from flower to flower 

 with such lightning-like velocity, that the most attentive ob- 

 server is unable to distinguish the rapid vibrations of its wings. 



A glimpse at the organisation of the birds shows us how 

 admirably they are constructed for an aerial life. As their 

 wings, which correspond to the forefeet of the quadrupeds or 

 to the arms of man, are in most cases the chief organs of loco- 

 motion, and their use consequently requires the greatest concen- 

 tration of strength, their muscles are generally far more powerful 

 than those of the legs. The breastbone is also enormously 

 developed, so as to serve as a fit point of attachment for the 

 muscular masses which set them in motion ; and its dimensions 

 correspond so exactly with the strength of the wings, that on 

 comparing its size with that of the remaining skeleton, we can 



