THE FEATHER MAN 231 



''Wings are even more wonderful," he con- 

 tinued. "How far can a Penguin fly?" 



The boy started. Penguin was not in his Ency- 

 clopaedia of Birds, its name not being within the 

 letters DRA to GYR. 



"I — I didn't think it could fly at all," he said. 



' ' Has it any wings ? ' ' 



"I don't think so, sir." 



"Yes, it has, and very eflficient ones. But they 

 move only at the shoulder and are used as paddles. 

 How far can the Frigate Bird fly ? " 



"Forever," the boy replied. 



"Or as long as it lives," the Feather Man cor- 

 rected. "Now, Shan, if you'll notice the propor- 

 tion between the weight of the body and the size 

 of the wing, you'll get a clear idea as to why the 

 Frigate Bird can fly long distances and the Pen- 

 guin cannot. A Tree Swallow has a tiny foot and 

 a large wing, eight times as long as the foot ; the 

 Little Black Kail, a partly terrestrial bird, has a 

 foot almost as long as the wing; the Ostrich, a 

 purely terrestrial bird, has a foot three times as 

 long as the wing.^ Have you ever noticed the way 

 a bird's Aving is set into its body?" 



1 It is to be remembered that a bird's foot extends to its heel 

 joint, which is usually apparently half-way up the leg, like a 

 knee bending the wrong way. 



