The Gait and Flight of Birds 323 
strokes like the long-winged Crow. The Hornbills, though some of them move by 
measured flaps, in other cases alternate a single measured flap with a short sail, thus 
progressing in an easy but by no means rapid manner. The Hoopoe alternates strong 
strokes with a closure of the wings, which are large and broad, though not long, and 
thus looks rather lke a large buttery; it is one of the hardest birds for a hawk to 
catch, from its great power of shifting and mounting. 
The slowest fliers move their wings more quickly and travel faster than one would 
suppose; I found on timing one more than once that our common Heron takes two 
strokes to the second. 
The speed of birds’ flight has, however, been much exaggerated; a pigeon is 
certainly above the average in speed, and it is a good “homer” that will cover fifty 
miles in the hour. Dr. Blanford, in the “Fauna of British India,” says that the 
great Spine-tailed Swifts (Chetura) are probably the swiftest of livmg birds; one 
observer says they go past with a twang like a harp-string; and another that the 
Alpine Swift (Cypselus melba), which is swifter than our Swift, seems to fly like an 
owl after the speed of the spine-tail has been seen just before. 
In flying, the tail undoubtedly comes into play im helping the bird to turn, and 
it is lowered as a brake when the bird alights; but it is not so easy to see why 
it is spread on-rismg. Anyway, it cannot be a very essential organ, as some of the finest 
flyers, such as the above Spine-tailed Swifts, have quite short tails. Birds with long 
wedge-shaped tails, like the Magpie, seldom fly remarkably well, though there are 
exceptions to this zule; forked-tailed birds are almost all good flyers, and readily execute 
evolutions. 
Hovering, or standing still in the 
air, can only be performed by light birds 
with powerful wigs; as may be seen 
in the drawing of the Kestrel, our most 
conspicuous exponent of the art, it is done 
Fig. 12. Woodpecker flying, showing closure of wings. by rapid forward and downward strokes 
of the wings, with the body raised and 
the tail spread (Hig. 11). Humming-Birds are constantly hovering as they poise in 
front of a flower. 
Swooping is, of course, done by closing the wings; few birds except those of 
powerful flight care to attempt it; it is a speciality of the Falcons when striking 
their prey. 
When about to alight, most birds set their wings rigidly and extend their feet in 
front to be ready to use them on perch, ground, or water; but the Grebes, which 
probably never from choice alight on land, come down anyhow, their wings working 
and their feet trailing behind to the last. 
The backward extension of the feet in full flight is undoubtedly the rule among 
most families of birds, and not only among the long-legged waders and the waterfowl, 
as was thought till recently; but some families tuck up their feet in front, such as 
Passerines, Woodpeckers (see Fig. 12), Barbets, and Hoopoes. The length of the shank 
has nothing to do with the method of stowage adopted, for such short-legged birds as 
Pigeons, Parrots, Cuckoos, Kingfishers, and Rollers carry their feet astern; and some 
Passerines have quite long legs, such as the Starlings. 
Gulls undoubtedly tuck up one or both feet at times, but normally, as anyone can 
see in our London winter visitors, their legs are carried under the tail. The stowage 
of the neck in flight is as difficult to understand as that of the feet. As a rule long- 
necked birds stretch it out, like the Ducks, and short-necked ones draw it in, like Crows. 
But the long-necked Herons and Pelicans draw in their necks, and so do the bare-necked 
