224 NATURAL THEOLOGY. 



to work how to contrive for it a covering which 

 shall unite the qualities of warmth, levity, and 

 least resistance to the air, and the highest degree 

 of each ; giving it also as much of beauty and 

 ornament as he could afford. He is the person 

 to behold the work of the Deity, in this part of 

 his creation, with the sentiments which are due to 

 it. 



The commendation which the general aspect 

 of the feathered world seldom fails of exciting 

 will be increased by further examination. It is 

 one of those cases in which the philosopher has 

 more to admire than the common observer. 

 Every feather is a mechanical wonder. If we look 

 at the quill, we find properties not easily brought 

 together — strength and lightness. I know few 

 things more remarkable than the strength and 

 lightness of the very pen with which I am writing. 

 If we cast our eye to the upper part of the stem, 

 we see a material, made for the purpose, used in 

 no other class of animals, and in no other part of 

 birds, tough, light, pliant, elastic. The pith also 

 which feeds the feathers is, amongst animal sub- 

 stances, sui generis — neither bone, flesh, mem- 

 brane, nor tendon.* 



But the artificial part of a feather is the heard, 

 or, as it is sometimes, I believe, called the vane. 



* The quill part of a feather is composed of circular and longi- 

 tudinal fibres. In making a pen, you must scrape off the coat of 

 circular fibres, or the quill will split in a ragged, jagged manner, 

 making what boys call caVs teeth. 



