2 THE fe.\tht;red TKim:s. 



tliclr form, tlio exquisite softness, bcaiitj^ or sploudoiir of tlieir pliunage, their clasticity 

 aiid \-igour on the wing, the thrilling melody of theu- songs, and the various economical 

 purposes to which they are adapted, there is still but little known by people generally 

 respecting them. Arid yet there is not one of the myriads of birds, whether hndhig a 

 domicile iimncdiatcly aroimd our dwellings, covering the branches of forest trees, wading 

 the morass — so treacherous and even fatal to man, — scouring the sandy and arid desert, 

 sportmg on the billows of the ocean, or gaining thcu" subsistence by diving in its waters, — 

 no, there is not one of them but is worth}' of careful and repeated attention, in the light 

 of all the intelligence that can now be obtauied as the rcsidt of extensive and long- 

 continued observation. 



It is, therefore, our piu-pose to present to the eye of the reader a scries of representa- 

 tions of a large niuuber of the feathered tiibes, accompanied by popular, yet scientifically 

 accm-ate, accounts of their ajipearance, locaHties, and instmcts ; and briefly to point out, 

 by way of prelude, some remarkable circumstances relating to their structure and habits, 

 and also as to the principles adopted in their classification by naturalists. 



Eeginning with their structm-e, it maybe remarked that the skeleton of birds (tig. 1) has 

 the same constituent parts as that of other vertebrated classes ; the bones of the anterior 

 extremity, though destined exclusively to support the wing, retain the same divisions, and 

 are composed of the usual elements. As birds swallow their food entire, there is no 

 necessity for any part of the bidky apparatus, or hard and solid teeth, large muscles, and 

 hea^y jaws, which are required by quadrupeds, and hence the head admits of being 

 greatly reduced in its dimensions. 



The ribs and the viscera are placed as far back along the spinal column as possible, and , 

 a Ions flexible neck extends from the trunk to the head, which is thus carried considei'ablv 

 forwards. In order, too, that the bird may be exactlj' balanced while it is flying, its 

 centre of gravity must be brought precisely under the line connecting the articidation of 

 the wings with the trunk, for it is at these points that the resistance of the air causes it 

 to be supported by the wings. "When the bird is resting on its legs, the centre of gra\-ity 

 must, in like manner, be brought immediately over the base of support formed by the 

 toes ; it becomes necessary, therefore, to provide means for shifting the centre of gra^-ity 

 from one place to another, according to circumstances, and to adjust its position with 

 considerable nicety ; otherwise there would be danger of the equilibrium being destroyed, 

 and the body oversetting. 



The principal means of eflbcting these adjustments consist in Ihe motions of the head 

 and neck, which last is, for that iJurpose, rendered exceedingly long and flexible. Tlie 

 number of cervical vertebnc (a) is generally verv considerable ; in the mannnalia there arc 

 seven, but in many birds there are twice that luunber, and m the swan there are twenty- 

 three. 



As the fii^inal marrow passes down along the canal foi'med by the arches of the 

 vcrtebrsc, and any pi'cssure applied to its tender substance woidd instantly pai'alyse the 

 whole body, and speedily put an end to life, an extraordinary i)rovision was ri'quired to 

 guard against the possibility of such an accident difring the many violent contortions 

 into which the colunni is liable to be thrown. This is acconq)lished in the sinq)lest and 

 most effective manner, by enlarging the diameter of the canal at the xqiper and lower 

 part of each vertebra, while at the middle it remains of tlic usual size, so that the shape 

 resembles that of a hour-glass. Tims a wide space is left at the junction of each suci'cs- 

 sive vertebra, allowing of verj' consideral)le flexion, witiiout reducing the diameter of tlu> 

 channel beyond that of the narrow portion, and therefore without compressing the spinal 

 marrow. 



A totally difl\rcnt plan is pursued in tlic vertebra; of tlic back and loins. To ensure 

 the proper action of the wings, the great object here is to prevent motion, and to give all 



