THE MOVEMENTS. 
31 
lap the tail; while with those which can turn quickly the 
tail generally exceeds the wings in length. Good flyers 
often have the tail forked, although the contrary some¬ 
times occurs when the tail has long centre feathers. 
Large, broad, rounded wings are well adapted for rising, 
and for long and easy soaring at great elevations; but 
they render descent difficult. Those birds, however, 
which carry long pointed wings can rush with them half 
expanded from a considerable height. Short round wings 
render flight more difficult, and make it necessary to use 
very rapid and strong strokes. The greater or less 
amount of noise made in flying is caused partially by 
the hardness or softness of the pinion-feathers, and 
partly from the relative rapidity or slowness of the 
strokes of the wings. Quick flyers move with a rushing 
whistling sound; slower flyers silently: the former 
motion is found with short-winged, and the latter with 
broad-winged birds. 
To enable a bird to fly with great velocity it requires 
a head wind, or the reverse of what is desirable for a 
ship; it always prefers to fly against the wind, and soon 
becomes tired when flying for a long time with the wind.* 
The reason may be sought for in this circumstance, that 
the opposing breeze fills the under side of the arched 
* This statement seems contradictory when we remember the immense velocity 
at which “ driven” Grouse or Partridges fly. Any sportsman, who has shot driven 
birds, will feel but little disposed to accept this assertion, the more so that, as a 
rule, driven birds almost always travel down wind. Another occasion, where the 
difference of velocity is easily observable, is while sitting watching rock birds, 
Guillemots and Puffins, when flying to and fro their breeding-place; the 
moment the bird turns doion wind increased velocity is immediately perceptible. 
A third case also presents itself to us:—Snipes generally arrive in the Essex 
marshes with a north-easterly or easterly wind, and yet they come from the North 
of Europe to us; perhaps the early and severe frosts of Norway compel these birds 
to fly down wind on their trip to England. Lastly, how could the fragile warblers 
beat to windward?— -W. J. 
