FLIGHT OF BIRDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 201, 26 August 1935, Page 11

FLIGHT OF BIRDS.

EXPERT INVESTIGATION. MR. R. A. FALLA'S ADDRESS. Birds in flight were dealt with in an interesting manner by Mr. R. A. Falla, ornithologist to the Auckland War Memorial Museum, in a lecture under the auspices of the Auckland Institute and Museum yesterday afternoon. There was a large attendance. Several important points that might lead to a complete understanding of the various factors contributing to the mastery of flight by birds were still a matter of investigation by authorities who had so far failed to elucidate them, said Mr. Falla. Those who had seen an albatrosß in flight in the stern of an ocean steamer must have been impressed by its assurance and its smooth flight, even under rough weather conditions. The albatross would glide, a simple form of bird flight, but the necessary velocity for the achievement had to be obtained by a primary beating of the wings. If the wind were strong the bird might turn about and face it, spread its wings, and uso its large feet practically to "run" across the water in the face of the wind and so gain impetus. Early students of aeronautics had found a fruitful source of study in the gliding flight of birds. Valuable data concerning the relationship of wing area to the weight of the body had bee7i obtained from birds, but other factors appeared during the evolution of aeroplane design which necessitated a departure from the study of birds.