WILD BIRDS THROUGH THE YEAR 49 



violently out of the trees, striking its wings as.it 

 goes. This feather was firm and fresh ; it looked 

 as though it had not lost a delicate booklet or a 

 barbicelle. Its outline, fine edge and curves, were 

 perfect ; and, holding this lovely web to the light, 

 and turning it slowly about, I could see the principle 

 of the screw as plain as I can see it in the whole wing 

 of any bird. 



Pettigrew had in his work " Animal Locomotion," 

 a picture of a bird's wing twisting on itself in flight. 

 This figure was reproduced in my book, " Life 

 and Sport in Hampshire," as I was touching on 

 natural flight, and I do not think the augur-like 

 form of the wing is exaggerated ; but, anyhow, 

 we need hardly go beyond the ringdove's single cast 

 feather for eye proof which, after all, is often 

 brain proof of this augur or screw. The feather 

 I mean belongs to one of the set called primaries, 

 or, as I would rather name it, one of the Firsts in the 

 wing ; it is one of the oar-feathers rowing feathers. 



The shed wing feather gives us, then, a far 

 clearer hint of that ruling principle by which a bird 

 flies than any bird, great or small, on the wing, can 

 give ; for the strokes and motion of the flier are ex- 

 tremely deceptive. As a rule the bird, by a plain- 

 looking up and down flap of its wing, tells us nothing 

 of the real nature of the stroke. Watch a rook, a 

 heron, a gull, or a partridge on the wing with the 

 hope of discovering the secret of its mastery over 

 the air, and you will be disappointed. They 

 disclose nothing as to the real nature of the stroke 



