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Reviews



technical discussion. Among other interesting information he explains

how habitat affects flight, as instanced in the rise of the Pheasant which

is almost vertical, “ a necessary quality in a bird which lives in woods

where the only way of escape may lie through a small opening in the

vegetation immediately overhead ”, while the Partridge, living in

open fields, escapes usually by horizontal flight. As a general rule,

he points out, long pointed wings are typical of birds of open country

and short rounded ones of dwellers in woods and hedgerows.


Many people have marvelled at the flight of birds, but the successful

study and clearing up of its difficulties demands a technical knowledge

both of zoology and aerodynamics, combined with opportunities for

watching birds in open country. The latter are now supplemented by

the beautiful film pictures showing the flight of different birds in slow

motion and at normal pace. High speed cameras and telephotolenses

also show permanent and detailed records of flight under varying

emotions, such as fear, when pursued by an enemy, hunting, search

for food as exemplified in the hovering of a Kestrel engaged in quartering

a field for its prey, and especially love flights which range from simple

flutterings to the elaborate tossing, somersaulting, and swooping of the

Lapwing. There is also flock flight in formation, where each bird has its

recognized place, as for example the Y-shaped ordered flight of wild

Geese.


The book is freely illustrated with plates and figures depicting types

of flight, the positions of the wings when a bird is rising or alighting,

the structure of feathers, and their insertion into the wing. There is

also a useful glossary of technical terms and a good index.


E. F. C.



ERRATUM


BREEDING OF MITCHELL’S LORIKEET


In Dr. Derscheid’s article in the October issue, on page 277, line 1,

replace the words “ in the United Kingdom ” by the words “ in the

British Empire It seems that Mr. W. C. Osman Hill’s success in

breeding the said species was achieved in Colombo, Ceylon, although

no definite mention is made of the locality in the course of its account

in the Avicultural Magazine, August, 1938.



J. M. Derscheid.



