560 BIOLOGY. 



3405. As the Bird grows out at the thoracic limbs 

 into the Insect's wings, so does it upon the whole body 

 into dried branchial laminae. 



The whole body of the Bird is clothed with branchial 

 laminae or plates. 



3406. The wings of the Insects might be called free 

 tracheae. 



The Bird's feathers are Insect-tracheae. As in the 

 Insect the wings are a leash or net of tracheae held 

 together by membranes, so feathers are tracheae dividing 

 into fibre-like ramules. 



3407. The Bird is a Reptilian or Frog's body, beset all 

 over with Insects, like as with parasitic animals. 



3408. The highest Insect only attains to the possession 

 of four wings, which in some Moths split again into 

 several feathers. In the Bird a vast number of such 

 wings originates. 



3409. An Insect's wing is not more than one feather, 

 and is therefore placed also directly upon the body. 

 These wings must multiply so soon as they occur upon a 

 membered trunk, upon arms. Thus, we need not ask 

 why the Butterfly has four, but the Bird only two wings, 

 seeing that the latter is the nobler animal. The dis- 

 course cannot be concerning the wings of the former, 

 for the Butterfly has indeed none, but only four 

 feathers. 



3410. What the Bird is, it is by virtue of its feathers. 

 It is throughout a trachea, a pair of bellows. Its bones 

 are hollow, full of air, and stand likewise in communica- 

 tion with the lungs ; the feather-quills are also hollow. 



Senses. 



3411. The wings have all the muscles to themselves ; 

 the bone has in them gone to ruin. On the legs, on the 

 contrary, the muscles have declined, and the bone has 

 got the upper hand. 



Hence it results, properly speaking, that only the tho- 

 racic members are perfected, because the Bird is nothing 

 but thorax. The abdomen has, so to speak, vanished, 



