Blinded by Science
(Internet Published) Oct 2000
Many years ago, a famous aero dynamical engineer proclaimed that the common
Bumble Bee should not really be able to fly due to its small wings and large
body. Nevertheless, the Bumblebee does not know this and flies very well.
Recently, a few men with scientific minds have written to me and asked
awkward questions about pigeon behaviour, metabolism, progressive overload,
and diet, etc... Some of them talk about weighing Tipplers during the
training period and the subsequent build up for an attempt at a marathon
fly. All very interesting stuff.
Recently, on TV, I saw two young ladies, supposed to be vets, trying to
weigh an owl, which had been brought into the surgery slightly injured. I
never saw such a fiasco in my life! The poor owl was terrified and did not
want to be weighed, It did everything but actually fly. These two
"qualified" young ladies eventually gave up trying to weigh the owl.
There is no problem in weighing any bird. All you have to do is to put the
bird in a dark plastic bag of almost zero weight and pop the bag onto the
scales. The bird will remain motionless.
I am all for scientific studies on Rollers, Tumblers, etc, but there is no
scientific formula for character. Some specimens have it - others do not.
Structurally correct specimens so often lack the character and Tipplers are
not flown on mathematics and pedigree alone.