40 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 144 



Table 15. — data from a. magnan, ann. sci. naturelle, 

 SER. 10, vol. 5, pp. 125-334 (1922) 



Les caracteristiques des oiseaux 



Magnan has divided his birds into groups in accordance with their mode of 

 flight. His short titles are difficult to translate, and I have left them in the original 

 French. The basis for his classification is given on pages 165-171 of the original 

 paper, together with the French common names of the species. 



In addition to the data presented in the following tables, Magnan has measured 

 many other characteristics, such as, for example, the length of body, length of 

 tail, weight of wing skeleton, weight of heart, etc. I have given here those meas- 

 urements which seemed particularly pertinent to flight. 



The one measurement which presents difficulties is that of wing spread. Mag- 

 nan says "The measurement is a matter of individual judgment; it is essential 

 that all species be measured by the same hand, the wings must be stretched in 

 precisely the same manner. The point is important, not if the wing spreads differ 

 by a factor of 2, but if the differences are small." 



All measurements appear to have been made with the greatest care. Captive 

 birds were used, and those which appeared to be in bad health were discarded. 

 Nowhere else in the literature is there such an abundance of data. For anyone 

 interested in dimensional relationships the entire paper is well worth careful 

 study. 



Total Wing 



weight area 



am. cm.^ 



Wing Wing 



weight spread 



gm. cm. 



Wing Pectoral muscles 

 length weight, gm. 

 cm. Large Small 



Rapaces diurnes voiliers 



Gyps fulvus 7,269 10,540 1,599 



Gypaetus barhatus grandis 5,385 7,431 1,279 



Catharista atrata 1,702 3,012 327 



Aquila chrysatus 3,712 5,382 813 



Hiera'eus fasciatus 2,060 3,172 408 



Helotarsus ecaudatus 2,095 3,582 406 



Geranoatiis melanoleucus 2,123 3,550 402 



Circatus gallicus 1,655 4,121 400 



Buteo bueto 1,027 2,691 181 



Pernis apivorus 615 1,894 109 



Pandion haliatus 1,105 2,921 310 



Circus aeruginosas 680 2,264 141 



cyaneus 2 471.5 1,759 101 



$ 331 1,406 70.1 



" pygargus 236.5 1,296 61.5 



macrurus 386 1,413 75.1 



Milvus milvus 927 2,902 218 



Palmipedes voiliers 



Diomedea exulans 8,502 6,206 1,377 



Fregata aquila 1,620 3,240 326 



Sula bassana 2,690 2,450 390 



Puffinus kuhli 572 1,280 98.0 



Hydrobates pelagicus 17.40 100 2.61 



Larus marinus 1,915 2,719 394 



