THE SOARING OF BIRDS 103 



drawing of the soaring storks, and thus describes 

 their movements : ' The whole of the Jabiru storks 

 in the place had mounted high in the air above 

 the river, and were soaring like eagles, drifting 

 slowly down the wind in three huge spirals, each of 

 which for the moment was composed of thirty or 

 forty birds. The effect of the sun on the snowy 

 backs and wings of the birds was very beautiful, 

 whilst the constantly moving spirals, as the 

 individuals kept changing from one line to the 

 other, had an exceedingly pleasant effect on the 

 eye. The wings were never beaten^ but every bird 

 in turn, with stationary pinions, commenced a spiral 

 descent of each pillar, and then passed on to the 

 next, returning to the summit of the first one on 

 reaching the lowest position of the third one. 1 It 

 is not necessary to go as far as South Africa to 

 see this power of soaring without beats of the 

 wing. 'The finest exhibition of flight I ever 

 saw/ writes the Rev. J. G. Cornish of Lockinge, 

 Berks, 'was that of a pair of kites. We were 

 standing on the bridge of boats, across the Rhine 

 at Mayence, when we saw the two birds come 

 cricling up far above the river. They came steadily 

 onwards against the wind, and passed on overhead 

 towards the Taunus Hills. We watched them for 

 more than a mile, and saw not a single beat of the 



