The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-20
(Kansas CITY tai

(Kansas City Starr
The wild goose is a heavy bird com
pared with the surface area of its
wings and has difficulty in rising in the
, air. either from the ground or from
the water. High in the air, and go
ing at its usual speed, it feels the
air under it as a solid body. as the
swimmer feels the water under him
and its fight is then easy and safe
The flock in the migration of these
birds will he observed on high above
ed out in v form. with the leader at
the point and always in this order
when upon long flights. The obstruc-
tion of the air is thus lcssened and
distributed among the individual birds
They follow the line of least resist
ance. since if each individual flew nut
OF this formation it would meet with
the full resistance of the air in front
or the leader. ii the birds kept in one
bear this resistance alone. The lead
er has better control of the individ-
uals. forming both wings of the flock
and thus keeps in sight of each bird
which al observe his movements UP
or down to the right or to the left, or
in any other direction. In case of
meeting any obstruction. as in the
presence of an eagle. there is not like
ly to be Il piling up of the birds in one
mass where broken wings and inextri-
cable confusion might be the result
and in alighting the whole flock circles
presenting one solid mass of aeroplane
until with a great ease they reach the
water or the land. Experience has
taught them the economy of this for
nation and tradition handed the
knowledge down from n generation
to its successor. Geese. before taking
their long flights. reduce their weight
for the journey.
Eagles are better provided with
wings. being birds of prey and COM
PEELED to carry more weight than their
own bodies. Stories have been pub
lished of their carrying off children
or lambs. The eagle of North Ameri-
ca is bly, as strong of wing as any
other eagle. l once came across one
OF the largest eagles in the Rocky
mountains. which had caught a jack
rabbit and. on seeing me. he arose
with the rabbit in his talons. He was
alarmed at my presence and flew with
great speed to a height of perhaps 100
feet. the rabbit dangling in his out
stretched legs and vainly trying to
squirm loose. 1t was plain that the
bird had undertaken a task beyond
stN VNS vi IS Wigs. " ~
the rabbit and flew away. while the
latter. apparently unhurt. ran away
The weight of this animal was too
much for the North American eagle.
Had no n been near the eagle would
have killed the rabbit and eaten it
without trying to carry it through the
air. The eagle might, if high in the
air and going at full speed. carry a
much larger weight than it could fly
,t.tfh crow %ho r~N,I 1--~
walking along the edge of a high
rim rock" coming along the streams
Of the interior of Oregon. observed
numerous flights of ducks going over
on their way from the Columbia river
to the wheat fields of the interior.
Far below him and still high above the
earth was an eagle lowering around
apparently in wait. Far above him
was another eagle. also on the watch.
circling around In the sky above the
flight Of ducks. Suddenly the higher
bird swooped down upon a flock of
ducks, seized n and evidently kill
ed 1t. for it dropped the duck in mid
air. which fell past the cliff upon
which the hunter stood until it reach
ed the eagle below. which suddenly
turned on its back and seized the duck
and sailed away with it. These birds
might accomplish this feat where
tISTc lS plculN Ol Sod room OUT COulO
not close to the earth.
The falcon is as common in the
western fields as the partridge is in
time. These birds can hover in the
air at a height OF so to 100 feet and
see the smallest vermin on the ground
in the grass. None but accipitral birds
can hover" 1t is strange that the an
cient art of falconry should have fall
len into disuse. l observed a falcon
once in flight in pursuit of a flock Of
robins. The whole came With a sur
prisingly loud rush of air. the robins
way for the short distance they had
to go. when they suddenly darted
into a clump of alder trees. alighting
upon the branches and showing every
indication of the greatest excitement
and fear. The falcon did not attempt
to catch n Of them among the tree
tcps-why. it is hard to surmise. At
another time a small hawk was seen
by a boy sailing around a village of
the ground and during the summer
months venture at some distance from
their holes. Always at each hole
stands a sentinel on guard to give a
signal of danger and it is impossible
to escape the observation Of these
lookouts. The boy was seated in the
midst of the village shooting the GO
piers with gravels from a bean shoot
err which did not kill them. but
drove them in their holes. The hawk
was also on a hunt for gophers. But
his presence in the air was seer by
the sentinels and 1t was impossible for
him to swoop down from above upon
any of the gophers in time to catch
one. because they quickly disappear in
their holes. which are so built that one
jump lands the animal out of harms
way. The boy watched the hawk. as
did the gophers. but suddenly the
hawk disappeared from the sight of
the gophers but not from the sight Of
the boy. 1t darted down into a hol-
low which ran near the, gopher VIII
lage and few along under the protec-
ton Of this depression out of sight I'M
til opposite and quite near a gopher
hole, upon which stood one Of the SEN
tinel gophers with his eye upon the
sky and all the surrounding country.
The hawk rose out OF the hollow. flew
and seized this gopher before he knew
what happened. It's distance from the
animal when it appeared in sight
was so small that the gopher had not
time to descend into it's hole; it had no
time eve to move. The hawk was
upon 1t almost instantly. This man.
euver seems to show something more
than mere instinct.