CONTRIVANCE A NECESSITY. 167 



the Snipe. The longest and most beautiful 

 trial of wingmanship I have ever seen was the 

 chase of a Merlin after a Snipe in one of the 

 Hebrides. It lasted as far as the eye could 

 reach, and seemed to continue far out to sea. 

 In the Merlin, as in all the fastest Falcons, the 

 second quill feather is the longest in the wing ; 

 the others rapidly diminish ; and the point of the 

 wing looks as sharp as a needle in the air. 



There is yet one other power which it is abso- 

 lutely necessary to some birds that their wings 

 should enable them to exert ; and that is the 

 power of standing still, or remaining suspended in 

 the air without any forward motion. One familiar 

 example of this is the common Kestrel, which, 

 from the frequent exercise of this power, is called 

 in some counties the "Windhover." The mechani- 

 cal principles on which the machinery of flight is 

 adapted to this purpose, are very simple. No bird 

 can exercise this power which is not provided with 

 wings large enough, long enough, and powerful 

 enough to sustain its weight with ease, and with- 

 out violent exertion. Large wings can always be 

 diminished at the pleasure of the bird, by being 



