38 The Bird 



as long and as perfect as the main feather. The origin 

 and use of this feattier-double is not known. 



Parrots, herons, and some other birds have a most 

 convenient arrangement — a kind of automatic clothes- 

 cleaner and valet coml)ined. Concealed b}'^ the long body- 

 plumage are several dense patches of down-feathers which 

 grow quite rapild}', but instead of constantly increasing 

 in length, the tips break uj) into a fine, white, greas}^ 

 powder. This works its way through the entire plumage, 

 and is doubtless of use in keeping the feathers in good 

 condition and the bod}^ dry. Most of the birds possess- 

 ing this convenience are comparative!}' free from lice, so 

 this natural dressing may be as unpleasant to these ver- 

 min as camphor-balls are to clothes-moths. 



The forms and textures of feathers are innumerable, 

 and the uses to which they are put, more than we would 

 ever imagine, but these will be spoken of imder the chap- 

 ters treating of the different parts of the body where they 

 are found. 



Arrangement 



In examining a nestling we will notice that the feather- 

 dots are not scattered at random over the surface of the 

 skin, but grow in lines and tracts, whose limits are very 

 sharply defined. In an adult bird, sa}^ an English Spar- 

 row, this is even more noticeable. If we ]:)art the feathers 

 on the centre of the ])reast, a broad, bare area is seen, 

 w^th only a thin scattering of soft downy feathers. Under 

 the wings are other naked spaces, and several more are 

 on other parts of the body. The most ancient birds were 



