Soaring Flight and the “Olfactory” Organs of Birds

Abstract

THE note on page 784 of NATURE, December 9, misses the point of the theory I wish to be tested. The theory is that the well-developed “olfactory” nerves and apparatus of those birds which are capable of soaring flight has the function, not of smell, but of a delicate tactile sense whereby the bird is able to detect and take instant advantage of those upward air currents which recent experiments with gliding machines have shown to be so important in soaring flight.