The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-09-27
sEeKlNG A WARM BOOST.


Manner OF flight aud the Speed Made ny
Migratory Birds.
Nenrly all the native American summer
birds make migratory Journeys southwark
at the approach OF winter. A few of the
varieties. such rs the swallow family, leave
AS early as the latter part Of August, As
soon as the young birds are able to leave
the nest. much time is spent ON the wing
by those birds that have the fall journey to
make, and when the breeding time Is well
over they bunch into troops, having n hoii-
yay time feasting on the new crop OF seeds
and ENJOYING the fine weather. Children
nil grown up, no household cares, the young
yeioicing in the use of their developing pm
ions, they frisll and iutter, scour the sur
rounding country, but no one sees them
leave.
Singularly enough, the warblers make
these journeys in the night That NOISY
and now uuwelcome and voracious pet, the
| English sparrow, is not migratory, so lar
( rs autumn Journeys pertain Immigration
/ They were imported to tins, u strange Gil
mate to them. aud have not learned to leave
with the approach Of winter Whether or
not they are AN iusectivorous bird in their
native isle, they certainly could not Toe 9TH
/ rrvi.c than grauivorous mere in the winter.
They are hardy, pugnacIous and aggressive
well typifying the peculiar character OF
the Briton.
4 puzzle to the scientist is TO solve the
problem of where the energy can come from
to sustain the expenditure of force involved
in many occasions Of bird flight That a
dimiuutiye bit Of stomach, charged with a
few seeds as fuel should generate force to
Cleavc the air, continuously bearing the
body forward at a rapid rate for hours aud
sometimes days, seems incredible. No land
or water loComOton can compete with it,
a goose, swan or duck may start from Lab
rador, and sooner than an express train
could do the distance many reach the ever
glades of Florida. And this is probably
done on less than the equivalent of half a
peck OF corn. We understand the physics
of their motion, we can grasp both the
mathematics and the mechanics involved
in the wing movement, but how this neces'
sary energy is conserved is IA matter that
simply confronts our researches with def,
anCe
One versed in ornithology should know
the kind of bird in it flight and walk as
well as if in hand. Each family of birds
has a wing stroke peculiar to its class.
BuzZards and the familiar chicken hawks
fly in circles with the wings Outstretched
and still much of the time. The crow af
feCts a peculiar swagger in its walk.
quail and pheasant cannot sustain "A long
flight. Owls have light bounding move
ment as il much lighter than the air
Nearly all small birds fly by jerks, and o
course rise and fall, and these also hoI
when on the ground. Woodpeckers opel
and close their wings when they fly, tn,
line being Il series of rising and fallns
curves. Larks walk. The killdecr is
runner, and when not on the nest is neve
at rest. The humming bird has win.
! stroke almost as rapid as that of some in
! sects, but this cannot be much prolonged
i The grain and grass eaters are the specifies
and sustain the longest. flights Birds O
J prey all have wide base of brain, larg
combativeness and destructiveuess, ant
I very few are the kinds that deserve de
misunderstanding Dispatch.