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Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0159.PDF
MARCH 5, 1910. JycHT] HOW A BIRD LEARNED TO FLY. JUST how far a bird needs to learn to fly under really natural conditions is a matter which might perhaps tax even the patience of a naturalist to definitely prove. But that a young vulture in captivity found much practice necessary in order to master the art is demonstrated by the following interesting story which the well-known French aviator, the late Captain Ferber, who was fatally injured last year when flying, originally contributed to our con temporary, Omnia :— Some time ago, said Capt. Ferber, his friend Capt. Detroyat, wrote to him : " My brother-in-law, M. Sala, and if he flies it will show that his instinct suffices. If he does not fly it will -be plain that he needs a rational course of instruction.' "Captain Detroyat did as recommended, and the result of his observations is as follows :— " Photos 1 and 2 were taken on the 15th of September, when the vulture, who answers to the high- sounding name of 'Coco,' weighed 9 kilogs. and measured 2'2 metres from tip to tip of his wings, with a maximum width of "5 metre. This is approximately a square metre of surface. According to the shepherds who brought him FLYING.—Lessons from the vulture. The series of efforts of ** Coco," the baby vulture, in his endeavours to acquire the art of flying. The several pictures shown above are dealt with in detail in our accompanying article on this page. and myself have just succeeded in catching a young vulture in the Pyrenees. He is less than six months old, and the spread of his wings is already 2'2 metres. But he is quite unable to fly, and he is not even come to the point of progressing by flighty jumps. What shall we do ? Shall we tie a string round his neck, and train him on Archdeacon's principle by towing from a motor boat, or shall we push him into the air from the ' pylon ' of the Aero Club? " " I replied," said Captain Ferber, " as follows :—' The case is a most interesting one, and I should imagine that what is the matter with the bird is that he has not had an opportunity of being taught by his parents. You be his father and photograph his attempts. But don't tie him to a motor boat. It might be bad for his health. You might push him off the roof, 155 in, and by plotting out a curve of the rate at which his weight increased, it was probable that the date of his birth fell in the previous April. He is unable to fly, and can hardly toddle. " ' Coco' is not altogether wild (photo No. 3). Indeed, he is so little wild that it is impossible to frighten him enough to make him run. At the end of September he tried his wings several times, very much like a recruit going through his ' extension motions,' on the top of a pot full of flowers (Fig. 4) to the very great damage of the latter, but without daring to fly to the ground. One day he was sufficiently venturesome to attempt gliding from the top of a table or seat with his wings spread out like a parachute (Fig. 5). After that his progress was made by practising flying jumps. This period was very long. Ir» C 2
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