?0 THE FEATHERS. 



and continued living in good health for upwards of three 

 years. In this case, the featherless state of the bird was 

 accidental; but the fact of a bird's being able to exist 

 without this, its natural clothing, is proved by a most 

 cruel and barbarous custom, which cannot be too strongly 

 reprobated, practised in some parts of England, where 

 extensive flocks of Geese are bred and reared mainly 

 for the value of their feathers. The season of sheep- 

 shearing does not return more regularly than that of 

 Geese-plucking. It is chiefly performed by women; and 

 of course the torture of the poor bird is greater in pro- 

 portion to the want of skilfulness in the operator, those 

 new to the employment often tearing and lacerating the 

 skin in such a manner as to occasion the bird's death. 

 But even when performed with the utmost expertness, 

 the poor birds pine for a considerable time afterwards, 

 losing their flesh and appetite; their eyes become dull, 

 and they betray symptoms of weariness and weakness. 

 In some birds this growth of feathers is always going on ; 

 and they may be said to be in a perpetual moult; while 

 in others again, and those chiefly water birds, the process 

 of moulting or changing plumage occurs only twice in 

 the year, in autumn and in spring ; and here again we 

 shall find that Creative Wisdom is at work in acting for 

 the best. 



That there is a great difference in the summer and 

 winter plumage of many birds is known to almost every 

 body; but it requires a closer examination, to see that 

 much of this difference consists in a great increase of 

 warmth, to meet the severity of the latter season, which 

 is thus produced. In the autumnal moult, when the 

 summer feathers fall off, the new feathers, which take 

 their place, will be found to be fringed. This fringe is 

 generally of the same texture, though almost always of 

 a warmer and more downy character, and often of a 

 different colour, which will account for the variety of 

 tints often observed in birds at these different seasons of 

 the year. As the spring advances these little fringes 



