THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS 



crow flapping his way through the air. He is a 

 heavy flyer, but can face a pretty strong wind. His 

 wings probably move through an arc of about 

 ninety degrees. The phoebe flies with a peculiar 

 snappy, jerky flight; its relative the kingbird, 

 with a mincing and hovering flight; it tiptoes 

 through the air. The woodpeckers gallop, alter- 

 nately closing and spreading their wings. The 

 ordinary flight of the goldfinch is a very marked 

 undulatory flight; a section of it, the rise and the 

 fall, would probably measure fifty feet. The 

 bird goes half that distance or more with wings 

 closed. This is the flight the male indulges in 

 within hearing distance of his brooding mate. 

 During the love season he occasionally gives way 

 to an ecstatic flight. This is a level flight, per- 

 formed on round, open wings, which beat the air 

 vertically. This flight of ecstasy during the song 

 season is common to many of our birds. I have 

 seen even the song sparrow indulge in it, rising fifty 

 feet or more and delivering its simple song with 

 obvious excitement. The idiotic-looking wood- 

 cock, inspired by the grand passion, rises upon 

 whistling wings in the early spring twilight, and 

 floats and circles at an altitude of a hundred feet 

 or more, and in rapid smackering and chippering 

 notes unburdens his soul. The song of ecstasy 

 with our meadowlark is delivered in a level flight 

 and is sharp and hurried, both flight and song differ- 



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