298 THE AMERICAN SWAN. 



the vane, and one edge of the primaries is serrated; so that, 

 while they are debarred from so swift a flight as the Hawk, 

 they are enabled, by the same mechanism, to wing their 

 way without noise, and steal unheard upon their prey." 

 (Owen.) In the long pinions of the Hawk the vanes are 

 joined together with a remarkable firmness. Who can ex- 

 plain the peculiarity of that structure, which causes the in- 

 imitable lustre on certain parts of several kinds of birds ? 

 Thus, as the above named author says, " every feather is a 

 mechanical wonder." No less remarkable is its history from 

 its first appearance in the matrix till it reaches maturity. 

 So perplexing is each stage of its development, that to read 

 an account of it by the most lucid anatomist requires as 

 close attention as the solution of an intricate problem in 

 mathematics. And can anything exceed the varied beauty 

 and brilliancy of the plumage of certain members of the 

 feathered tribes? What is there in all the bright hues of 

 nature which can equal the metallic tints on certain parts 

 of the Humming Birds of the New World, or of the Sun 

 Birds of both the Old World and the New? 



The partly denuded skeleton of this Swan also reminds 

 me of the peculiar and varied osteology of the birds. A 

 bird's skeleton is a true indication of the leading peculiari- 

 ties of its structure and functions in this class of vertebrates. 

 As the bird's position, whether on the ground, on the water, 

 or in the air, is nearly horizontal, the trunk of the body is 

 made firm by a consolidation of a great portion of the back- 

 bone and ribs into a continued bony plane, and by the 

 anchylosis, or joining together, of nearly all the dorsal ver- 

 tebrae; and then it is well supported by the thigh bones 

 being in a horizontal position, and thus balancing it; and by 

 the long toes radiating in various directions. As the bird's 

 neck must serve the purpose of an arm, and the bill that of 



