. Bird-life : a guide to the study of our common birds . Birds. FORM AND HABIT: THE WING. 19 birds, important relation between form and babit. Many terrestrial species rely on tlieir dull, protective covering to escape observation, taking wing only wlien danger is so near tbat it is necessary for tbem to get under way at once. Conseipiently, Quail, Partridges, and Grouse, mueli to tlie amateur sportsman's discom- fiture, spring from tlie ground as tliougli thrown from a catapult, and reach their highest speed within a few yards of the starting point, while the All)atross is obliged to face the
. Bird-life : a guide to the study of our common birds . Birds. FORM AND HABIT: THE WING. 19 birds, important relation between form and babit. Many terrestrial species rely on tlieir dull, protective covering to escape observation, taking wing only wlien danger is so near tbat it is necessary for tbem to get under way at once. Conseipiently, Quail, Partridges, and Grouse, mueli to tlie amateur sportsman's discom- fiture, spring from tlie ground as tliougli thrown from a catapult, and reach their highest speed within a few yards of the starting point, while the All)atross is obliged to face the wind and run some distance over the ground or water before slowly lifting itself into tlie air. There, however, it can remain for hours or even days without once alighting-. The Frigate Eird, or Man-o'-War Bird, has a body scarcely larger than that of a chiclcen, l)ut its tail is one foot and a half in length, and its wings measure seven to. Frio'att; Bird. (Expanse of wings, 7 tr. ^ feet.) eight feet in extent. Having this enormous spread of sail, its flight is more easy and graceful than that of any living bird. I have seen hundreds of these birds floating in the air, facing tlie wind, -without apparent change of position or the movement of a piinon, for long intervals of time. From this extreme development of the wing as a flight-organ, let us turn to those birds -who have not the power of flight. The Ostrich, Kliea, Emu, and Cassowary are familar representatives of this group. It is generally believed that these birds have lost the power. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945; Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946. New York : D. Appleton
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Keywords: ., bookauthorchap, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds
