235 
1921 .] Velocity of Migratory Flight among Birds . 
Species. 
Place. 
Ground 
speed : 
Bemarks. 
Pacific Plover 
Pacific. 
m.p.h. 
50-75 
Not founded apparently on accu¬ 
(Ch. dominions). 
rate observation. ( Henshaw, 
Lapwing 1 . 
S. Palestine. 
37 
Smithson. Inst. Bep. 1910.) 
Single bird, flying against head 
Lapwing 1 . 
France. 
50 
wind of 12 m.p.h. Altitude of 
flight 860 feet. See note D. 
Altitude of flight 5500 feet. 
Lapwing . 
do. 
*40-45 
Flying against a north wind 
on spring passage. Means of 
estimate unknown. ( Portal , 
‘Field,’ 17. ill. 17.) 
Observation by air-speed indi¬ 
Lapwing . 
do. 
42 
cator. (B.A.F.) 
Altitude of flight 1410 feet. 
Little Stint. 
East Africa. 
49 
Slight side wind at ground- 
level. See note F. 
One observation. See note C. 
Terek Sandpiper... 
do. 
48-51 
Four observations. See note C. 
Greenshank . 
do. 
46, 49 
Two observations. See note C. 
Marsh-Sandpiper .. 
do. 
48,51,51| 
Three observations. See note C. 
Oystercatcher ... 
do. 
45-49 
Seven observations. See note C. 
Curlew. 
do. 
42-484 
Seventeen observations. See 
Whimbrel . 
do. 
43-52 
note C. 
Nine observations. See note C. 
* Air-speed. 
So much for observations on the flight of wild birds. 
I shall now briefly record some of the more accurate 
observations on the rate of flight of Carrier Pigeons. 
Tegetmeier declares ( 6 Field/ 22. i. 87) that the average 
speed of Carrier Pigeons is 36 miles per hour, whilst on 
two occasions a speed of 55 miles per hour was maintained 
for four hours in succession. 
From experiments carried out in a covered gallery 
(‘ Field/ 1887, p. 242) it was shown that a Pigeon flew 
at 33*8 miles per hour, whilst in the open another flew at 
27‘9 miles per hour. 
In the c Homing Fancier's Annual * of 1892 it was recorded 
that in covering 82 miles in good weather a bird maintained 
r 2 
