Bird Study 



33 



HOW BIRDS FLY 



Teacher's Story 



TO convince the children that a bird's wings correspond 

 to our arms, they should see a fowl with its feathers off, 

 prepared for market or oven, and they will infer the 

 fact at once. 

 The bird flies by lifting itself through pressing down upon the air with 

 its wings. There are several experiments which are needed to make the 

 child understand this. It is difficult for children to conceive that the air 

 is really anything, because they cannot see it ; so the first experiment 

 should be to show that the air is something we can push against or that 

 pushes against us. Strike the air with a fan and we feel there is something 

 which the fan pushes ; we feel the wind when it is blowing and it is very 

 difficult for us to walk against a hard wind. If we hold an open umbrella 

 in the hand while we jump from a step we feel buoyed up because the 

 umbrella presses down upon the air. The bird presses down upon the air 

 with the wings, just as the open umbrella does. The bird flies by pressing 

 down upon the air with its wings just as a boy jumps high by pressing 

 down with his hands on his vaulting pole. 



.^J^ 



Hen with wing outstretched showing primaries and secondaries 

 of the wing ajid the overlapping of the feathers. 



From practical exercise on feathers by Prof. J. E, Rice in Rural 



School Leaflet. 



