Feathers

the plumage or covering of a bird. All birds have feathers. No other animal has feathers. The nearest approach to a feather is said to be the quill of a porcupine. The young of scratching birds, such as domestic chickens, turkeys, and the whole grouse family, emerge from the egg clothed with feathers. The same is true of the duck tribe, and of all wading birds, save the herons and their allies. The young are able to run about almost as soon as hatched. The young of singing birds, and of nearly all birds that nest in tree-tops, are naked when hatched, and remain helpless in the nest until their feathers grow.

Feathers are the lightest and the warmest covering which nature has furnished an animal. The plumage of many birds, particularly of waterfowl, is naturally waterproof. Birds assist nature in this respect by dressing their feathers with oil pressed by the beak from a small oil pouch situated on the rump. Feathers are also a non-conductor of electricity. A feather bed is considered a safe place during a thunder storm.

Like a hair, each feather grows in a pit or pouch of its own. The lower portion, which is round and hollow, is known as a quill. For centuries before the invention of the steel pen, a pen made from the quill of the goose was used by writers. One of the requisites of a schoolmaster was skill in sharpening or mending these pens. This he did with a small penknife made for the purpose. The square central portion leading out from the quill is the shaft. The lighter portion growing on either side of the shaft is the web. The American Indians, as well as the English archers, were wont to split the shaft of a feather carefully and glue the halves to the opposite sides of their arrows to give them a more steady, accurate flight.

The feathers of a bird grow in numerous tracts separated by bare spaces. The feathers of the wing, for instance, belong to seven distinct tracts. Naming these from the bend of the wing backward, they are the lesser coverts, the middle coverts, the greater coverts, the secondaries, and the primaries; while above the greater coverts and secondaries, that is toward the back, are the scapulars and tertiaries. Other groups of feathers are mapped off in the same way.

In variety of coloring, feathers vie with flowers. While flowers may excel in softness and delicacy, plumage surpasses in brilliancy and sheen. Chapman considers a chart of thirty colors necessary to identify the plumage of the birds of the North-eastern States. Special names are given to markings, a few of which it is well to know. A line of color following the shaft, and spreading out narrowly to the web on either side, is a streak. A band of color crossing web and shaft is a bar. A local area of color is called a spot. A line of color following the outer edge of the web is a margin.

The peculiarities of feathers have not failed to attract notice. "As light as a feather" is a proverbial expression. "Birds of a feather flock together" is but another rendering of the idea that "one is known by the company he keeps." Many birds use feathers to line their nests. A trustee or guardian who appropriates to his own use property that has been left in his charge is said to "feather his own nest." A newly acquired honor is a "feather in one's cap." Rowers are said to "feather their oars," when the oar is lifted deftly so that the water running from it forms a sort of web, like that of a feather. "To show the white feather" is to exhibit cowardice--to run away.

Feathers are utilized in a number of ways. The small, soft feathers, and the down are used for beds, pillows, and the filling of comfortables. Feathers of all sizes are used for purposes of ornamentation, especially in the attire of women. The smaller feathers are made into boas, muffs, caps, and band trimming for gowns and suits. The larger sorts are employed for decorating hats, bonnets, and various head-dresses. Many feathers are used in their natural form and color; others are dyed, trimmed, cut, pieced, and grouped in endless variety. A straight, stiff, wing feather, including technically the quill, the shaft, and the webs, more or less trimmed, is called by milliners a quill. Quills are used singly or in pairs, and are employed where a jaunty effect is desired. The full wings of many birds, the breast, and the tail feathers are used in many combinations. Even the entire bird may be seen on hat or bonnet. The large birds whose feathers are of commercial importance are the ostrich, adjutant, rhea, emu, osprey, egret, heron, bird of paradise, swan, turkey, peacock, pheasant, ibis, eagle, and grebe. The number of small birds whose plumage is desirable is almost unlimited.

Ostrich feathers are the handsomest and most valuable of all feathers. The best are the long wing plumes, of which each wing furnishes twenty-six from five to twenty-two inches in length. On the male bird these are pure white, with occasional markings of black; on the female they show slight shadings of gray and ecru. Each wing furnishes seventy-five short feathers known as tips. The body feathers are black, or black and white. The tail furnishes sixty-five fine feathers, white shading into ivory. At the plucking season the birds are driven into a kraal or pen which opens into a plucking box. Into this box the ostriches are driven one by one. The box is so small that the bird can neither turn nor move about. Two workmen cut the feathers with shears.

In preparing the feathers of the ostrich for use no machinery is employed. The work is done largely by women and girls, who are said to receive better pay than the workers in any similar industry. The preparation includes many processes. The feathers are first strung, that they may be handled more easily and with less waste of time. They are then carefully washed with castile soap. This work is done by men. The dyeing process comes next. Sometimes the darker feathers have the color extracted that they may be dyed an even, light tint. They are again washed and dried. The feathers are sorted according to length and quality. They are then sewed and wired. Nearly all the long plumes of commerce are "double," that is, they are formed of two or more plumes pieced together. After wiring they are steamed to make them pliable; then curled, bent, and shaped. Lastly they are tied in bunches and sewed into pasteboard boxes for shipment.

See Ostrich; Hair