Rural School Leaflet 833 



on the back form a roof; they are closely webbed, overlap like shingles, 

 and have pointed tips. The plumage on the breast is softer, and each 

 breast feather is closely webbed at its tip and fluffy at its base. The 

 fluff, being next to the skin, helps to retain the heat of the body. This 

 fluff, commonly called down, is the only covering of little chicks. The 

 fluff has no quill. When new feathers come, either on the chick or on 

 the hen, they are called pinfeathers, because they are enclosed in a pointed 

 sheath. To make her coat waterproof, the hen possesses on her back, 

 near the tail, an oil gland from which she squeezes the oil with her beak 

 and applies it to her feathers. 



The feathers of the wing are wonderfully adapted to their service. 

 The strong shaft of each is slightly curved and has a tightly knit web, 

 which enables it to press down on the air. When a bird starts to fly it 

 beats its wings very rapidly; thus the curving under-surfaces catch the 

 air like an umbrella and lift the bird upward. While the lifted wings 

 are carrying the bird, the tail acts as a rudder, by which the bird may 

 steer itself in any direction. For this purpose the tail feathers have a 

 different shape and texture from those on the wings. They are straight- 

 shafted, with the webs equal on both sides. 



The feathers on the barnyard fowl are not only a protection from the 

 rain and cold and of use as organs of flight, but they also make the bird 

 beautiful. The rooster's long curling plumes and handsome collar feathers 

 add much to his beauty, and secure for him the admiration of his flock. 



In the early spring the hen begins to lay eggs regularly, one each day, 

 announcing the fact with triumphant cackling. She will make her own 

 nest on the ground if we do not provide her with one in the poultry 

 house. When sitting, she seldom allows her eggs to become cold; she 

 turns them daily by pushing them with her breast and her beak ; she leaves 

 the nest for food and drink, usually twice a day. The incubation lasts 

 about twenty-one days. 



The chick has on the upper tip of its beak a small, horny tooth with 

 which it breaks through its shell. Soon after birth this tooth disappears. 

 The chick is covered with down when it leaves the egg, and is active, 

 bright-eyed, and alert, ready to follow its m.other anywhere in search of 

 food. It is very different in appearance and actions from the young 

 robin, which is blind and naked and is nourished by the food brought 

 by its parents. When the chick is young it sleeps under its mother's 

 wing, but as it grows up it roosts on trees or perches and tucks its head 

 beneath its wings. 



The conversation of the barnyard fowls is rather extended. The hen 

 clucks to her chicks and they answer by peeping. When she sees a hawk 

 or any other peril she warns her brood by a peculiar note, which causes 



