266 



The Hird 



body and which, when il flies, })lo\vs back between its 

 feet. The filament of feathers looks for all the world 

 as if a strip of the bird's plumage had caught on a thorn 

 and torn loose. The core of the streamer is a verj- slender 



Fig. 208.— Umbrella-bird. 



ribbon of skin which hangs from the neck. Would that 

 we could state the causes and the manner of the devel- 

 opment of these curious structures which our fanc}' likens 

 to an umbrella and a feathery handle! 



One or two small tufts of feathers ma}' spring from 



