270 THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE OF BIRDS CHAP. 
kilometres, or 160 English miles, and in ninety minutes 
from the time of its liberation at Paris it was back 
again. It had maintained an average pace of 106 
miles per hour!! This may appear startling, but the 
figures may possibly be correct. It must be remem- 
bered that the Swallow is better built for rapid flight 
than the Pigeon. Of the velocity attained by the 
Swift, who in his flight is very like the Swallow, 
though probably more than his match, many people 
have arrived at a much higher estimate. 
A few years ago some experiments of indisputable 
accuracy were made in a range constructed for experi- 
mental shooting. Two “screens” formed of very 
fine threads were put up at a distance of forty yards 
from one another. These screens were connected 
with electrical apparatus, by means of which the time 
occupied by the bird in traversing the forty yards was 
registered. The highest speed attained by any of the 
twelve Pigeons experimented on was at the rate of 
33'8 miles per hour, the lowest at the rate of 26:1. 
This is much lower than we should have expected, 
considering that the “screens” were placed at the 
farther end of the gallery in order to allow the birds 
to get up pace. The velocity of four Pigeons was 
measured in the open on a calm day by persons 
stationed at a certain distance from one another, who 
marked carefully the moment at which the birds came 
opposite to them and registered it with a stop watch. 
! See an article quoted from the Glode in the Zoologist for 
1889, p. 397. In the Homing News for September 13, 1889, is 
an account, apparently, of the same flight, the distance being 
given as 250 kilometres. 
