Read the passage from “ways of nature.”
what a creature of the air this bird is, never touching the ground, so far as i know, and never tasting earthly food! the swallow does perch now and then and descend to the ground for nesting-material; but the swift, i have reason to believe, even outrides the summer storms, facing them on steady wing, high in air.
what is the author implying by using the word earthly in this passage?
the bird seems to stay in the air, without ever touching the ground to eat.
the bird’s wings are far more powerful than its legs, so it seldom lands or walks.
the bird eats only insects, which also fly, rather than insects that live on the ground.