Exp. 19. Removed the posterior wings of the brown butterfly. Flight unimpaired.
Exp. 20. Removed in addition a small portion (one-sixth) from the tips of the anterior wings. Flight still perfect, as the insect flew upwards of ten yards.
Exp. 21. Removed in addition a portion (one-eighth) of the posterior margins of anterior wings. The insect flew imperfectly, and came to the ground about a yard from the point where it commenced its flight.
House Sparrow.—The sparrow is a heavy small-winged bird, requiring, one would imagine, all its wing area. This, however, is not the case, as the annexed experiments show.
Exp. 22. Detached the half of the secondary feathers of either pinion in the direction of the long axis of the wing, the primaries being left intact. Flight as perfect as before the mutilation took place. In this experiment, one wing was operated upon before the other, in order to test the balancing-power. The bird flew perfectly, either with one or with both wings cut.
Exp. 23. Detached the half of the secondary feathers and a fourth of the primary ones of either pinion in the long axis of the wing. Flight in no wise impaired. The bird, in this instance, flew upwards of 30 yards, and, having risen a considerable height, dropped into a neighbouring tree.
Exp. 24. Detached nearly the half of the primary feathers in the long axis of either pinion, the secondaries being left intact. When one wing only was operated upon, flight was perfect; when both were tampered with, it was still perfect, but slightly laboured.
Exp. 25. Detached rather more than a third of both primary and secondary feathers of either pinion in the long axis of the wing. In this case the bird flew with evident exertion, but was able, notwithstanding, to attain a very considerable altitude.
From experiments 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 13, 16, 22, 23, 24, and 25, it would appear that great liberties may be taken with the posterior or thin margin of the wing, and the dimensions of the wing in this direction materially reduced, without destroying, or even vitiating in a marked degree, the powers of flight. This is no doubt owing to the fact indicated by Sir George Cayley, and fully explained by Mr. Wenham, that in all wings, particularly long narrow ones, the elevating power is transferred to the anterior or front margin. These experiments prove that the upward bending of the posterior margins of the wings during the down stroke is not necessary to flight.
Exp. 26. Removed alternate primary and secondary feathers from either wing, beginning with the first primary. The bird flew upwards of fifty yards with very slight effort, rose above an adjoining fence, and wheeled over it a second time to settle on a tree in the vicinity. When one wing only was operated upon, it flew irregularly and in a lopsided manner.