92 RAPIDITY OF FLIGHT. 



pool and Manchester Railroad; for, when rolling 

 along, at the rate of about thirty miles an hour, we 

 saw hees and flies, sometimes hovering round the 

 carriages, sometimes settling, then when disturbed, 

 flying to the right or left, in an irregular course, but 

 still keeping up, without the slightest appearance of 

 extra exertion; and often, when tired of continuing 

 with the train, shooting forward, and in an instant 

 leaving us far behind, and this, too, in opposition to 

 a fresh breeze heading them. 



Another mode of ascertaining the flight of birds, 

 has been by Carrier Pigeons. These are a particular 

 breed, which can be so trained, that when carried to 

 great distances from the place of their usual abode, 

 and turned out, they will find their way back. A short 

 time ago, fifty-six of these birds were brought over 

 from a part of Holland, where they are much at- 

 tended to, and turned out from London, about half- 

 past four in the morning: they all reached their 

 dove-cots at home by noon; but one favourite 

 Pigeon, called Napoleon, arrived about a quarter 

 after ten o'clock, having performed the distance of 

 300 miles, at the rate of above fifty miles an hour, 

 supposing he lost not a moment, and proceeded in a 

 straight line; but as they usually wheel about in the 

 air for some time before they start off, and then 

 probably deviate more or less from the direct course, 

 this first bird must have flown, most likely, at a 

 much quicker rate. A curious way of guessing at 

 the speed of a Pigeon's flight has been noticed in 

 America. Birds have been shot, which, on opening 

 them, were found to have fed on coffee-berries, so 

 fresh, that they could not have been in the stomach 



