BRODIE & SWIMMING BIRDS

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

The McHenry asked...
 
> 1. Does anyone know the contact details for Professor      
> Paul Brodie?  

I recall from previous searches that there is unfortunately a 
prolific saxophonist also named Paul Brodie - the first 
Brodie has absolutely tons of stuff on the www whereas the 
one we're interested in is much harder to locate. John-
Michel Mazin should have his email if you can't get it 
(Mazin is at Jean.Michel.Mazin@univ-poitiers.fr).
 
> 2. Can anyone point me in the direction of some               
> references addressing the diving / swimming capabilities 
> of birds.

A good place to start is...

Johansson, L. C. & Lindhe Norberg, U. M. 2001. Lift-based 
paddling in diving grebe. _The Journal of Experimental 
Biology_ 204, 1687-1696.

(which - wohoo!! - can be downloaded for free at...
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/204/10/1687)

This covers what's been done on grebes (very little) and also 
summarises pretty much all of the previous work on all 
other diving birds [Incidentally, Johansson and Lindhe 
Norberg's contention was also published in _Nature_ (2000, 
vol. 407, 582-3)]. Most of the literature is actually on 
physiology and mechanical studies are relatively few. But 
see also...

Baudinette, R. V. & Gill, P. 1985. The energetics of 'flying' 
and 'paddling' in water: locomotion in penguins and ducks. 
_J. Comp. Physiol._ B 155, 373-380.

Brooks, A. 1945. The under-water actions of diving ducks. 
_Auk_ 62, 517-523.

Owre, O. T. 1967. Adaptations for locomotion and feeding 
in the Anhinga and the Double-crested cormorant. 
_Ornithological Monographs_ 6, 1-138.

Raikow, R. J. 1970. Evolution of diving adaptations in the 
stifftail ducks. _Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool._ 94, 1-52.

Torne, M. W. & Wrubleski, D. A. 1988. Underwater 
foraging behaviour of Canvasbacks, Lesse scaups and 
Ruddy ducks. _Condor_ 90, 168-172.

Townsend, C. W. 1909. The use of wings and feet by diving 
birds. _Auk_ 26, 234-248.

There is also tons of stuff on penguin swimming - I don't 
have time to dig out these refs too - but if you have Solly's 
(yes, Lingham-Soliar has no last 'e') papers on mosasaur and 
(ahem) plesiosaur locomotion they are cited therein.

-- 
Darren Naish
School of Earth & Environmental Sciences
University of Portsmouth UK, PO1 3QL

email: darren.naish@port.ac.uk
tel: 023 92846045