Baal Animal Life 
Adjutant-Storks and Vultures, some 
of which last have decidedly long 
necks. In the case of the Heron the 
kink in the neck-vertebre, which 
renders a curyed position for the neck 
the easiest, may be the excuse, and 
perhaps the Bare-necked Storks and 
Vultures may draw in their necks for 
warmth, but it is not so easy to find 
the reason in the case of the Pelicans. 
The big bill of the last-named will not 
account for it, as the Hornbills fly with 
outstretched necks, and these have, if 
anything, more weight in front. 
There is no doubt, however, that 
the most active flyers are found among those which draw in their necks, though many 
groups which extend the neck, such as Cranes and ordinary Storks, fly strongly and 
are adepts at soaring. 
Soaring is simply the gliding movement continued for a long period, the bird moving 
in circles or spirals, either close to the ground or water, as in the case of the Albatross 
or Lammergeier, or high in the air as with Vultures, Hagles, or Storks, which will rise 
to enormous heights in this way. The Vultures and Storks have their wings extended 
to the utmost and perfectly flat, while those of the Kites flex slightly at the. pinion- 
joint. The Hagle (Hig. 13)— 
“Soaring in supreme dominion 
Through the azure fields of air” 
Fig. 13. Eagle soaring. 
looks noblest of all, as his wings are not only extended to their fullest stretch, but 
slightly inclined upwards, which gives a less stiff effect. 
Buzzards, unless near enough for their smaller size and distinctive markings to be 
seen, cannot be distinguished from Eagles in their flight, and as they are now fairly 
common in parts of Britain, it is be hoped our physicists will pay more attention to 
their movements and solve the mystery, for how soaring is done is still somewhat of 
a puzzle. All long-soarmg birds are big, and none are fast flyers; some weight of 
body and a great span of wing seem requisite. The wings of high-soaring birds are 
always broad and rather blunt, while those of the low-glidmg Albatrosses are, though 
long, decidedly narrow. : 
Calm weather is adverse to soaring, so that a certain amount of wind appears to 
be necessary, and in the curves or circles described the bird sails alternately up and 
down the wind, sinking in the latter case and rising in the former. 
As in the case of swift-flying birds, soaring species may have tails of varying 
. length, and the long-tailed ones, like the Kites, undoubtedly make much use of the 
tail when soaring; one side of the tail can be easily seen to be elevated while the 
other is depressed, and so on. 
The fact, noted by Sir’ Walter Buller, that the New Zealand Harrier (Circus 
gouldi) does not soar while in its young plumage, shows that some birds at all events 
acquire expertness in this magnificent art with practice; the creature requires time to 
make an efficient aeroplane of itself. But the penalty of a mistake is light, for such 
a bird can right itself with a few flaps; and the fact that we have not this 
enormous mechanical power at our command whenever needed seems to be the greatest 
obstacle to man’s conquest of the air. 
