Air Lessons From Birds.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 December 1922, Page 4

Air Lessons From Birds.

(B.v Oliver G. Piko, F.Z.S., F.U.P.S ) An airman onto told me that lu could imitate with an aeroplane every feat that a bird performed—more, that he could do things in the air that no bird could copy.

At the. time I did not agree wit' him. and since then i have obtained photographs, which the ultra-rapid camera, of bird evolutions which 1 wiii undertake to say will never be equalled by man.

These are birds that will loop Lh ■ loop. 1 have seen tlie wild raven giv a side turn on to its hack and fly i i that position.

Rooks and lapwings perform a twisting nose-dive from great blights, and do it far more perfectly than ever an aeroplane did. Tho kestrel will remain still in the air on a perfectly calm l:i>, or in a gale, with equal ease, and nil birds land where they like—on the face ol a stoop cliff, a branch, or the ground.

There should be many lessons to be learned through the story of flight, especially when all movements ol the wings can he examined with ease, by watching action slowed down idled! times by means of the wonderful slow-mot ion photography. My films prove one thing most conclusively and that is that when birds “take off” the action, lor the first hundred yards or so, is exactly similar to the swimming action of a man when going through tlie water with the breast stroke. The wings are brought forward, and well over the • head, and the downward and backward sweep gives the bird a considerable; drive onward. Hut as the wings are raised the head and breast fall downward, and to counteract this the feet are used. As me wings risa the feet are brought tov. aiothe breast as far as they wJI go, then pushed back with the toes spread. With web-footed birds his movement gives a considerable* drive forward, and it even helps with birds with small feet, such as pipits. If the bird wishes to glide it waits until momentum is secured, then li e feet are placed under the tail, almost out of sight, and there is pi actually nothing on the body to offer resistance to the Wind. In gliding, the bird is aide to heat man .because it has v.hat we might call the “wind sense.” It knows instinctivelv every change of the wind and takes advantage of it. A lord on its first flight understands this. Very few airmen possess tins sense., and n they do it takes months of practice to acquire it. , , , When watching with the naked o\e lard land, the wing- seme to close with a snap, but slow-niolioii phoiograpliv shows us that a wonderful balancing movement is made. \ s tho wings close, from t»e "lukin to the tip there takes place a beautiful waving action, and the cud is bent up and down usually lour tones.