Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-12-17
THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS.
OBSERVATIONS on THE SUBJECT OF
EIRD FL.IGHT-sAILiNG IN
THE AIR.

The behavior OF some birds Il 30
peculiar that they are supposed "
,e as fond OF sport rs kittens, pup
Jies. and monkeys, and the purpose
If this paper. says = writer IN the
Erie Pa. Go-ette, II to speak OF a
lew birds that seem 20 be OF sporting
.endence while on the wing, anu
then call attention TO some OF the
Of action that govern
Them in flight and also in maintain
ing themselves in the air without
any apparent motion OF the wigs
u they do ia sailing"
The canary iiits from perch 10
Jerch dexterously, and IL seems {"
10 so sometimes merely for the
Jleasure of the exercise. Swallows
assemble high in the air, and lily
,bout here aud there 30 swiftly that
when the stroke of the wing
ID stopped they sail through
the air n long distance on
.xtendcd wings, making long
curves without descending, ap-
,JarenIly, toward the earth. They
cross and recross each others track,
line after time and hour after hour,
In n very spOrtive manner. \ few
days ago three domesiicatei pigeons
ser- seen in the air over = three
,toried building in this city,
porting, apparently, against q
,t-ady, strong brstzs- They made
rapid flights against the wind 4
,hort distance upward at an angle
Of about thirty degrees, and then,
with firm, outspTead wing, they
lat upon the wind, 4" SIS in sailing,
-rill advancing. until the momentum
they had acquired by common flight
had been expended, when they be-
,an to fall backward by the force OF
the wind aud also doa inward by the
ore Of gravity. After they had
.een blown backward nearly 10 the
jDint from which they started n
gigorsus topping OF wings sent them
orward. again 10 be forced baek.
These movements were, apparently,
often repeated for spOIi.
Ii may be OF some interest TO
s>ceTiaii, If possible, the means 10y
which birds maintsin their flight
10 sailing against tie wind or In
Irclrs. DIR. Holder hes given con-
adorable attention 10 the subject,
,ud Ice comes 20 the conclusion that
birds remain in the air precisely
- a hoy's Kite does, literally sitting
.oon the bre. ze, gravity operating
IN lieu of the string" In bolh
ses the action OF the wind Gu each
would he the same. anu the action
f gravity wouid affect both the
Kite and the bird, but with greater
Gree on the bird, because the
eight of the birt! may he greater
han that Of the Kite, aud here the
analogy between them comes TO an
.uj, for without the string and its
attachment TO guys leading to the
.xtremeties Of the frame the kite
would fall to the ground, as Il al
ways does when the string breaks or
IS let loose. The bird must depend
IN its own muscular energy to
sustain itself in the air or 1t falls
more quickly than the Kite. The ef-
for. Of the bird Is far from being ''pre-
cisely" like the string of kite lied
20 a hitch.post or in the hands Of a
running boy.
DIR. HoILer falls into q similar
error in saying: "Nhen binds rise
IN circles they are operated on pre-
cisely the same as vessels on the
Sater." The error lies in supposing
The bird moves obiiquely sice-wi.e
~ the wind against the sliis. Be-
tween the two there seems b. be no
.imilarity OF movements. The
'essel lies still on the water where
there is no wind. but a bird can
mount upward and 'issil': in n calm.
Sirds have no supernatural power
over gravity or any other force, and
% rise above the earth they must
Use their wings. The front Of the
wing inclires slightly downward at
->ery downward stroke, and at
every upward stroke it inelines up
ward, the resistance OF the air form
'ng. as il were, an inclined plane
down which the wing slides for
gard, causing the bird 10 advance,
md by an almost invisible vibration
Of the wings birds are doubtless en-
,bled to sail long time.
Eagles and some other large birds
remain frequently long time In
he air eircling round and rOuna
without any visible movement OF
the wing or any apparent descent
coward the earth. fine soaring o.
Ihese creatures o; the air il general.
" looked upon rs great mystery,
aud several theories have been FL
to explsin the phenomen.
On. The idea OF momentum having
been acquired by these BIRDS effort
10 flying 10 sustain them in the air
sfter they commence sailing IL
plausible enough for n shot sail,
but for long distances the explains
Ion is very unsatisfactory. The
orce and acquired momentum are
not sufficient to buoy up the body
" an eagle against the force OF
and a solution Of the mys-
Try must be sought for elsewhere.
Il It could be proved that n tremu-
Gus movement Of the wings is suf-
icient for sailing, which imagine |
5 really fact, the soaring Of that
interesting bird, the emblem of |
liberty, would be TO my mind Z
explanation.
have looked over precipice at |
ank swallows, who had nests d.
ectly under my. eye, they being |
gnoTant Of my presence On COM
Dg from a distance they would Stop |
he usual motion Of the wings, end
Leir Hight by sailing, and a. they
the nest l could see the
Temulous movement Of their out
tyetched wings.
Domestic pigeons, IN letting them.
elves down To the street from q
Ugh building, when near the pave
nent do not alight as soon rs they
night, but they sail along the street
cry slowly with . constant fiutter
ntil they drop on their feet. A
|uttering wing IL not an uncommon
notion. YouBg birds use 1t often
eforc their lesscps in flight are per-
ect, and older birds yibrate the
ring to attract the attention Of their
uates, and II ie not difiicnit TO come
D the conclusion that those birds
hat float kite-like In the air proloDg
be time OF calling after momentum
, expended by . tremulous move
,eni Of the wings, though II may
ct be seen on account OF the great
s.t. nc~ FINN, tha olyuerver.