THE FEATHERS. 79 



shoots, just sufficient to mat them together when 

 pressed close to the skin; whereas, the side shoots 

 of the quill-feather hook and grapple with one 

 another, so as to make one firm and 1 united sur- 

 face. Some idea of this may he formed from the 

 annexed figures, the second of which represents a 

 piece of the finest down magnified. 



But others there are, much stronger and stiffer 

 than the wing quill-feathers, as those, for instance, 

 forming the tails of the Woodpecker tribe. And the 



