BIRD STUDY 21 



without a definite purpose, and who always 

 adopts the very best plan. 



Plumage. Plumage is the bird's clothing. 

 It varies in thickness and color according to the 

 needs of the individual. Those birds that live 

 in countries of severe cold are provided with 

 thick, warm suits that cover them completely, 

 even to their toes, but dwellers in warm coun- 

 tries, including those that by migrating con- 

 stantly avoid low temperatures, are much more 

 scantily clad. The permanent residents in the 

 north temperate zone, where the summers are 

 hot and the winters very cold, shed many of 

 their feathers in the season of great heat, but 

 winter finds them fully clothed again. 



Plumage of birds changes much during the 

 period of development. With those varieties 

 like Ducks, Loons, Geese, Sandpipers, Grouse, 

 Partridge, etc., that leave the nest as soon as 

 hatched, the first clothing of the youngsters is a 

 thick, warm suit of down, velvet-like in texture. 

 This dress is retained by the water-living birds 

 and makes a waterproof suit of underclothing 

 of great service in keeping their bodies dry, even 

 though they sit on the water constantly. With 

 those that live on the land. Sandpipers, Grouse, 

 etc., their first covering is soon replaced by the 

 regulation dress of feathers w^hich serves every 

 purpose. The young of most land birds when 

 hatched are nearly naked, and require the 

 mother bird's protection from heat, cold and 

 storms. But the feathers grow so rapidly that 

 in a very few days their bodies are well covered, 

 the wing and tail feathers being the last to grow. 



