STRUCTURE OF FEATHERS.

13

how entirely adapted to answer its required purposes ! how light and buoyant, yet strong and firmly knit how beautiful, and at the same time how useful-as a covering, as an organ of flight, as a means of defence, as an ornamental adjunct-this last being not the least important, either to the feathered creature itself, or to man, to whom God has given the fine sense of appreciating and enjoying that which is beautiful, and for whom He has provided a dwelling-place full of beauties, a glorious universe, surveying which, we may well exclaim with Milton:

These are thy glorious works, parent of good!
Almighty, this Thy universal frame:

Thus wondrous fair; Thyself, how wondrous then!
Unspeakable; who sittest above the heavens
To us invisible, or dimly seen

In these Thy lowest works: yet these declare

Thy goodness beyond thought and power divine.

We

And not the least wonderful of God's works is the feather of a common fowl, in which, it is true, we have neither the bright hues, nor the fine silky filaments which give such richness and grace to the plumage of many birds. Yet, as the structure is essentially the same in all feathers, it may well answer the purpose of enabling us to illustrate this part of our subject. First, then, let us notice that we have here the barrel, or quill, a semi-transparent tube, pointed at the bottom, and closed above by a dry membrane, which once connected it with the living bird, and, extending up the interior of the quill, formed the medium of growth and nourishment to the whole feather. have next the shaft, or stem, which is a continuation of the quill, and, like it, is of a hard horny nature, differing from it, however, in shape, not being cylindrical, but having four sides, which become more and more distinctly defined as the shaft tapers off with an inward inclination to the terminal point. It is lined with a soft pulpy substance, somewhat analogous to the pith in plants, which is white and opaque, and which, like the membrane in the quill, was no doubt absorbed from the body of the bird, and gave out the principle of vitality to the webs, which are lateral, or side prolongations of the outer layer of the coat of the

14

STRUCTURE OF FEATHERS.

shaft, into a series of filaments, generally placed opposite
to each other, and, being associated at the bases, forming a
stiff, yet clastic expansion. Springing out of these webs
on either side are what are called barbs, which seem to
hold them together, and enable them to resist the pressure
of the air upon the extended wing.
From the upper
edges of the barbs, again shoot other filaments, still more
minute, which are called barbules, and these in turn are
again armed with barbacels, too small for other than mi-
croscopic examination. These barbs, and barbules, and
barbacels, are shaped like little hooks, and, growing out of,
embracing, and supporting each other, form a wonder-
fully complex, and yet in its action simple, piece of
machinery, and offering a beautiful picture of the unity
which ought to prevail in the social and political systems
of mankind. And all through nature, be it observed, do
we trace these mutual dependencies, this close interweaving
of the meshes of that golden net of love, which is cast by
the hand of God over everything which he has fashioned,
whether animate or inanimate.

How many lessons they may learn
Who to the book of nature turn,
And read, with love-instructed eyes,
The glories of the earth and skies.

And this feather, apparently so light and fragile, yet in reality so strong and enduring, which we have been attempting to describe, is but one of many hundreds, nay thousands, which go to form the covering of a single little bird; that bird, one of a species; that species, one of a genus; that genus, one of a family, or order; and that again, one of a class. How many birds are there in the universe? We cannot answer this question; much less can we tell how many feathers? Who makes them all, and orders these nice arrangements, so that they shall best conduce to the safety, the sustenance, the comfort, and the beauty, not only of birds generally, but of the particular species of bird which they at once clothe, protect, beautify, and bear whithersoever its wants or its pleasures require? But we may be told, perhaps, that feathers grow, like to flowers,

HOW MARVELLOUS AND MYSTERIOUS.

15

and all created things, in accordance with certain 'laws of nature,' instituted from the beginning. Well, be it so: what then? All the wonders which we see around us are none the less marvellous and mysterious; for what a Lawgiver must that be whose wisdom planned, and whose power put into execution, those primary laws, by which the planets roll on in their courses, through centuries of centuries, and by which a feather is made precisely as it was in the morn when Adam first listened to the song of the newly-created bird! Yes, if we have but attentive and believing faculties; if we

Go abroad rejoicing in the joy

Of beautiful and well-created things,

And love the voice of waters, and the sheen
Of silver fountains leaping to the sea;
And thrill with the rich melody of birds,
Living their life of music; and are glad
In the gay sunshine, reverent in the storm,

And find calm thoughts beneath the whispering tree;
And see, and hear, and breathe the evidence

Of God's deep wisdom in the natural world —

we shall assuredly confess, with Cowper, that

In the vast and the minute we trace
The unambiguous footsteps of a God,
Who gives its lustre to the insect's wing,

And wheels his throne upon the rolling worlds.

We have dwelt somewhat at length upon the construction of a single feather. If this be so wonderful, what must the whole covering be of one of those 'free tenants of land, air and ocean,' that fill our ears with melody, our hearts with thoughts of heaven, and our eyes with visions of beauty? The downy breast, so soft, and warm, and smooth; the glossy head and back, impervious to wet; the tail, that nice steering apparatus of the air navigator; and the wings, those exquisite pieces of machinery, with their muscles and tendons, like cords and pulleys, to turn the sails; those light yet strong pinions, with their overlapping lamina, formed to catch and hold the wind, and to support in mid-air the free creature, which darts swiftly,

16

LIGHTNESS AND BEAUTY OF FEATHERS.

or glides slowly, whithersoever the will directs, more like an ethereal spirit than a bodily substance.

One of the most remarkable characteristics of a feather is its lightness; if we speak of anything which has little or no weight, we say it is as light as a feather.' In illustration of this quality, it may be just mentioned that the quill of a Golden Eagle weighs only sixty-five grains, and seven such do not weigh more than a copper penny-piece. The feathers of a common Fowl weigh only about three ounces, and the plumage of an Owl but one ounce and a half. 'Which weighs most, a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?' is a question often put to puzzle children and thoughtless persons, who generally decide in favour of the lead, as if the question had been which of the two materials has the greatest weight in the smallest compass? Great, indeed, is the difference in the bulk of a similar weight of the ponderous metal and the light downy plumage, and no less remarkable is it in appearance. Elegant and beautiful are feathers in all their forms and adaptations; often in their hues most gorgeous, glittering with metallic lustre, and reflecting the rays of the sun with a splendour and brilliancy equalled only by that of the most precious gems, with which they are often associated in the dress and decorations of the mighty and the beautiful, whose pride has been sometimes rebuked by a reference to the humble creatures for whose pleasure and adornment God intended them. Thus we read that Croesus, king of Lydia, who felt presumptuously proud on account of his power and his riches, had dressed himself one day in his utmost splendour of apparel and regal ornament, and, seating himself on his throne, exhibited his person to Solon, the Greek lawgiver, as comprehending within itself the substance and sum of worldly glory. Have you ever beheld,' said he to the Grecian sage, 'a spectacle more august?' 'I have,' was the answer; there is neither a pheasant in our fields, nor a peacock in our court, nor a cock on our dunghill, that does not surpass you in glory!'

In our own country we must not look for that richness and diversity of colour, which makes the plumage of many foreign birds so gorgeous and resplendent. True it is, we

have both the birds to which the Greek philosopher referred in his pointed rebuke of human vanity, but these are introduced, and not native species, although we now reckon them among British birds. True we have the Kingfisher, that gemmed monarch of the streams; and the dapper Goldfinch, with his gaily-brocaded suit, and some others, which might take their place among the natives of tropical climes; but these are exceptions to the rule. The feathered denizens of our woods and groves generally are sobersuited, and not calculated to attract the eye, except, as in many cases, by their elegance of form, and grace and sprightliness of motion. But then, the music that is poured forth from their tuneful throats! How delightful is this! Where shall we find sweet songsters so numerous and diversified in their strains? Where listen to such trills and gushes of divinest melody? Beauty of colour has a charm for the eye, and divers tints and hues harmonised or contrasted, please and delight us; for truly, as Keats has sung,

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.

But the influence of sweet music is more powerful to reach the soul, and wake the feelings and emotions which are most deep, and holy, and tender; therefore we say -however much we may admire the glorious hues that bedeck the Lory and the Parrakeet, and other richly-feathered birds of tropical climes

Give us the Blackbird, with its flute-like voice;
Give us the Nightingale, that doth rejoice

To pour its plaintive cadences around,

When hushed by sleep is every other sound;
Give us the Linnet and the soaring Lark
That sweetly singeth as he soareth

-hark!

A song of gratitude he's trilling now;
Give us the speckled Thrush, that on the bough
Of the late blooming elder sits to sing

A mellow strain -the summer's welcoming;
Give us the friendly Robin Redbreast, though
He hath of melody no lengthened flow;

The Wren; and e'en the Sparrow, with his 'tweet,'
Though short the note be, it is passing sweet.

B