WILD BIRDS THROUGH THE YEAR 197 



over my head where I lay in a deck chair ; and 

 looking up at the hind margins of both wings, I 

 saw with the utmost distinctness that they were 

 continuously cutting in the air the figure of 

 eight. 



The eight was flawless, unmistakable, though its 

 loops took a spindled rather than rounded form ; 

 and that loop or segment of the eight which appeared 

 on that end of the wing further from the body was 

 much the larger. I called my friend's attention to 

 this perfect figure, and he could see it clearly, though, 

 as he was flying the bird with the anterior margin 

 of its wings nearer to himself, he was not so well 

 placed as I was. In the sketch he has drawn for 

 me, Mr. Malan makes the larger segment of the 

 eight three times the size of the other. This 

 disparity in the size and length of the two segments 

 is the only difference between our figure of eight in 

 the artificial bird hovering (held in position by a 

 line) and the eight which Pettigrew and Marey by 

 experiment found that the living bird or insect 

 whilst hanging stationary in the air must cut. 



We watched for half an hour or so the cutting of 

 these eights, and hoped to get a photograph of them 

 ere long, but between November 24 and Christmas 

 there were only one or two days at Durley Chine 

 when the breeze was strong enough on the shore 

 under the cliff, and on those days the light was not 

 good. I should say it would be easy, with favouring 

 breeze and light, to get a photograph of the eight. 

 The eight, being flapped by that part of the calico 



