20 THE STORY OF BIRD-LIFE. 



are known as rictal bristles. These last are the 

 long and coarse, or rather stiff hair-like structures 

 which grow around the mouth of goat-suckers 

 and fly-catchers, for instance. Eyelashes occur 

 in many birds, such as hornbills and ostriches. 



But we have not yet exhausted the list which 

 must be examined before we can say that we 

 know how a bird is clothed. Since in the 

 majority of birds we find the legs, or to be quite 

 correct, the feet, are encased in a covering of 

 scales or scutes, of various forms, whilst the tips 

 of the toes, and of the thumb and first finger 

 at least are ensheathed in horny claws, which 

 are sometimes of great length and strength. 

 The beak, too, is encased in horn, but we shall 

 have something further to sa}^ about this later. 



The scaly covering of the " legs " and toes 

 may be replaced by rhore or less extensive areas 

 of smooth skin, or by a partial or complete in- 

 vestment of feathers, which may grow, as in some 

 grouse even on the soles of the feet, like the fur 

 on the sole of the rabbit's foot. 



There are few objects with which we are more 

 familiar perhaps than feathers. They enter 

 largely into the comfort of our everyday life, 

 they figure conspicuously in our personal and 

 household decorations, they add splendour to 

 our pageants, form the crest of the heir- 

 apparent to the throne, head-dresses for our 

 army, and constitute not seldom our standards 

 of comparison for beauty and lightness ; yet, 

 there are few things probably about which we 

 know less. Let us learn ! 



To begin with, a feather is an absolutely 



