RAPIDITY OF FLIGHT. 
91 
pool and Manchester Railroad; for, when rolling 
along, at the rate of about thirty miles an hour, we 
saw bees and flies, sometimes hovering round the 
carriages, sometimes settling, then when disturbed 
flying to the right or left, in an irregular course, hut 
still keeping up, without the slightest appearance of 
extra exertion; and often, when tired of continuing 
with the train, shooting forward, and in an instant 
leaving us far behind, and this, too, in opposition to 
a fresh breeze heading them. 
Another mode of ascertaining the flight of birds 
has been by Carrier Pigeons. These are a particular 
breed, which can he so trained, that when carried to 
great distances from the place of their usual abode,, 
and turned out, they will find their way hack. A short 
time ago, fifty-six of these birds were brought over 
from a part of Holland, where they are much at- 
tended to, and turned out from London, about half- 
past four in the morning: they all reached their 
dove-cots at home by noon; but one favourite 
Pigeon, called Napoleon, arrived about a quarter 
after ten o'clock, having performed the distance of 
300 miles, at the rate of above fifty miles an hour, 
supposing he lost not a moment, and proceeded in a 
straight line ; but as they usually wheel about in the 
air for some time before they start off, and then 
probably deviate more or less from the direct course, 
this first bird must have flown, most likely, at a 
much quicker rate. A curious way of guessing at 
the speed of a Pigeon's flight has been noticed in 
America. Birds have been shot, which, on opening 
them, were found to have fed on coffee-berries, so 
fresh, that they could not have been in the stomach 
