350 The Bird 



this decoration, so protective and yet so beautiful, is 

 assumed only during the breeding season, its use is doubt- 

 less to aid in attracting the attention of the females. 



Herons and other birds make still another use of their 

 wings and the long, tough flight-feathers: as shields for 

 parrying the blows of a rival, or to catch the poison of 

 a snake when it strikes and thus give an opportunity 

 to seize and despatch the reptile. Two Snowy Egrets 

 will sometimes fence with each other in play, and use 

 beak and wing as a soldier would use sword and shield. 



I once saw the wing of a bird used in an entirely original 

 manner a use peculiar, doubtless, to this individual. 

 Several spoonbills suffered severely from the frozen 

 ground upon which they were forced to stand, and no 

 method of relief was found, except by one of their num- 

 ber, who every night stretched one wing beneath him, 

 drew up one foot deep into his plumage, and with the 

 other stood upon the tips of the primaries. 



Much might be written concerning the swiftness of 

 birds' flight, but so much of exaggeration has entered 

 into estimates of this kind that it would be difficult to 

 select facts and figures of indisputable verity. However, 

 it may be asserted as at least within the actual facts that 

 ducks can attain a speed of ninety miles an hour. An 

 apparently well-authenticated record of a swallow's flight 

 at Antwerp is as follows: A gentleman arranged a flight 

 of homing pigeons from Compiegne to Antwerp, a dis- 

 tance of one hundred and forty-eight miles, and with the 

 pigeons he liberated a swallow captured on her nest under 

 the eaves of his house in Antwerp. The swallow, which 



