on the shoulders. Most birds, indeed, fly with the head 
drawn back towards the body. The appearance of some of 
these birds on the wing can be seen at a glance on turning 
to the page illustrating this aspect of flight. 
Not so very long ago a great controversy was waged as 
to what birds did with their legs during flight. Many of the 
older artists invariably depicted them drawn up under the 
breast. But as a matter of fact, this method seems to be 
confined to the Passerine birds—the “ perching birds,”’ such 
as crows and finches and their kin. It has yet to be settled 
what obtains among what are known as the “ Picarian”’ 
birds, such as kingfishers, bee-eaters, woodpeckers, and so 
on. The legs and feet of these birds are so small, and their 
flight is so rapid, that the matter is by no means an easy one 
to settle. But all other birds carry the legs and toes bent 
backwards, under the tail. In the gulls, this can easily be 
seen, and easier still in the case of the common heron, where 
they are, as it were, trailed out behind—owing to the shortness 
of the tail and the great length of the leg. The puffin carries 
them ‘“‘ splayed” out on each side of his tail, and so also do 
his kinsmen, the razor-bills and guillemots. 
The legs, as a rule, take no part in flight. True, they can 
be seen thrust out just before alighting, but this is solely for 
the purpose of effecting a safe landing. But where gulls 
can be watched at close quarters, as in harbours, round a 
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