92 



owing to its having been in a domestic state for so many genera- 

 tions. He quite overlooks the fact, however, that in this parti- 

 cular strain the efforts of breeders have been directed towards 

 one goal, i.e., obtaining the fastest possible flyers. To accom- 

 plish this, for many generations artificial selection has been 

 unceasingly at work, breeders mating only their best birds. It 

 seems, therefore, more probable that, as in the case of the wild 

 'horse and English race-horse, the domestic Carrier-Pigeon can 

 beat its wild progenitor, the Eock-Dove, in regard to the speed 

 of its flight. Von Middendorf's calculations on the speed of 

 migrants, to which Her Gatke objects, may be taken as fairly 

 accurate in spite of the remarks of the latter. But they refer to 

 another feature of the phenomena — i.e., what may be described 

 as the rate at which the breeding grounds are re-colonised every 

 spring. His estimates will be found to be confirmed by the 

 researches of American ornithologists {vide " Bird Migration in 

 the Mississippi Valley," Cooke). 



The Hooded Crow has been singled out by Herr Gatke as a 

 species performing its migratory flights at a very high rate of 

 speed. This is the more astonishing, as the heavy, plodding 

 character of its flight is well known. Even Herr Gatke himself 

 alludes to it as an " apparently sluggish flyer." It is surprising, 

 therefore, to learn that his Estimate of the speed attained by this 

 species is no less than one hundred and eight geographical miles 

 an hour. It will therefore be very interesting to learn how he 

 has arrived at such a result. 



On p. 67 he writes : — " This bird, which without question, 

 must be classed among the less expert flyers, travels in autumn in 

 innumerable droves across Heligoland and past both sides of the 

 island. The first flocks arrive about eight in the morning, and 

 are succeeded in undiminished numbers by flock upon flock until 

 two o'clock in the afternoon, all travelling without interrupting 

 their flight, in a westerly direction. According to the reports 

 of my esteemed friend, John Cordeaux — with whose observations, 

 conducted on the opposite east coast of England, I am in the 

 habit of regularly comparing my own — the first flights arrive 

 at that coast about eleven in the morning, and the last at about 

 five in the afternoon ; the latter being followed sometimes by 



