Rural School Leaflet 



709 



Suggestions for study. 



1. The pupils can learn that the feathers are non-conducting, by 

 observing the difference in the heat of the body when the hands are placed 

 on the feathers, and when they are placed between the feathers against 

 the skin. Discuss the fact that the warm coat of feathers is one reason 

 why fowls suffer from the heat in the excessively warm weather, and why 

 they are able to endure so much cold in the winter. What can a fowl do 

 when she wants to be cooler? What can she do when she wants to be 

 warmer ? 



2. Ask the 

 children whether 

 they ever saw a 

 turkey sleeping on 

 the roost in a cold 

 night. Did she have 

 her head under her 

 wing? Bring out 

 the fact that the 

 breath warmed the 

 body and the feath- 

 ers protected the 

 head. 



3. Before the 

 pupils leave the 

 schoolroom some 

 cold night, ask them 

 to notice when they 

 go home whether 

 the fowls keep close 

 to the roost. Ask 

 them whether they 

 have ever seen a 

 duck, a goose, a 

 turkey, or other 



fowl standing in the snow or on the ice, and whether they stand on one 

 foot or both feet. 



4. Spread the wings and tail (Fig. 42), so that the different feather 

 sections may be seen. Note that in the wing and tail one feather overlaps 

 another so that each feather braces the other during flight. Discuss the 

 use of the turkey's wing for a fan or duster. Are the feathers lapped 

 over one another? Why are the feathers thus arranged? Do several 

 boys skating arm in arm find it h;irder skating than they would if they 

 skated separately? What comparison is there between the boys skating 



Fig. 42. — Studying the feathers of a fowl. 



