OCR Text |
Show Government Scientists Record Speedof Speed of Bird Flight Fhgl1t The swiftest swrltest birdilight birdflight.ever birdflightever birdfhght.ever birdfhghtever 0 . 0ever . ever re recorded recorded recorded corded accurately is m in the neigh neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood borhood of 175 miles an hour Ordl Ordi Ordlnary Ordinary Ordinary nary unhurried unhurned flight fught averages from from20 20 to 40 m miles es an hour accordmg according accordingto accordmgto to the speciesThe speciesThe species speciesThe The United States Department otAgriculture of ofAgrIculture ofAgriculture AgrIculture has compiled a com corn complete cornplete cornplete plete record ot of o1 the measured Illght light Illghtspeeds ( flightspeeds lightspeeds speeds ot of North American and Eu European European European ropean birds The swiftest swltest ! demzen denizen demzenof denizenof denizenof of the skies according accordmg to this com corn compendlum cornpendrum cornpendmrn pendlum pendrum is the California Cal1fornJa duck duckhawk duckhawk duckhawk hawk whose speed measured with a astop astop astop stop watch from ( rom an airplane was wasfound wasfound wastound found to be between 175 and 180 180miles 180miles 180miles miles an hour The eagle is rela relatlvely relatively relalively tlvely tively slow The Department of Agrl Agri Agrlculture Agriculture Agriculture culture compiler found one rather ratherquestionable ratherquestionable ratherquestionable questionable recorded speed of o1 120 120mIles 120miles 120miles mIles tor for a golden eagle Only two twoentirely twoentirely twoentirely entirely trustworthy records of eagle eaglespeeds eaglespeeds eaglespeeds speeds were found-one found one found - one of 30 and andthe andthe andthe the other of 60 milesBird milesBird miles milesBird Bird spied speed records more than 20 20years 20years 20years years old are worthless the report reportexplaIns reportexplains reportcxplams explaIns because any possible possiblemeans possiblemeans possiblemeans means ot of measurement was quite in inaccurate inaccurate inaccurate accurate and some fantastic est esti estimates estimates ! matCl'S matClS mates ' were made mode manag ng rig up to 5 5or 5or 5or or 6 m les a minute Most such suchguesses suchguesses suchguesses guesses and by far ( ar the most trust trustworthy trustworthy trustworthy worthy were made by hunters A Ahunter Ahunter Ahunter hunter aiming aunmg at a bird b11'd b11d ' in m flight had to make three subconscious est esti estimatesthe estimates ! mates-the mates the - the distance of his target targetthe targetthe targetthe the speed at which it was movmg moving movmgin movingin movingin in order that he would know how howfar howfar howtar far ahead to aim and the speed of ofhis ofhis olhis his bullet The skilled marksman marksmanlearned marksmanlearned marksmanlearned learned to make allowance for ( or these thesethree thesethree thesethree three factors instinctively but never nevercould nevercould nevercould could explain satisfactorily how he hedid hedid hedid did it it . . Only one of these elements elementsof elementso1 of o1 marksmanship the velocity ot of the thebullet thebullet thebullet bullet , , could be measured ac accurately accurately accurately accuratelyBut curately curatelyBut But says the report , , it has been beenfound beenfound beenfound found rec recently recently t1y by experiment that thatthere thatthere thatthere there is an appreciable loss of tIme tImein timein timein in pulllne pulling the trigger Against the thesky thesky thesky sky it is practically Impossible to togauge togauge togauge gauge the exact distance of the bird birdand birdand birdand and the distance it travels may be beexaggerated beexaggerated boexaggerated exaggerated because momentum momentumwIll momentumwill momentumwill wIll carry a shot bird some distance distancebefore distancebefore distancebefore before it falls ( alls An overestimate of ofa ofa ofa a very few ( ew feet m In these figures WIll WIllresult willresult willresult result in the computa computation tlon of very veryhigh veryhigh veryhigh high speeds for ( or game birds Gun Gunners Gunners Gunners ners ha have ve been prone to a ttbute attribute attributespeeds attributespeeds ttbutespeeds ! ' speeds of 100 o oj or { ' even 150 mlle miles . an anhour anhour anhour hour to ducks |