CHAPTER II 
FEATHERS 
given, but all fall short in some particular, or 
S| are weak in having exceptions. FEATHERED is 
the one word which always holds true. All birds have 
feathers, and nowhere else in the world are similar struc- 
tures found. A feather, like an egg, is perfect in its 
adaptation to the bird’s requirements, and also, like the 
egg, its structure is rather complicated. 
Structure and Development 
First let us look at the skin itself in which the feathers 
grow. To skin a bird is an easy matter, for the skin, 
or integument as it is called, is very slightly attached 
to the muscles underneath. The skin of a dove is almost 
like tissue-paper, and tears so easily that it is a marvel 
how the hundreds of feathers find a sufficiently strong 
attachment. Thin as is this skin, it is made up of three 
separate layers, but in order to make our feather-study 
enjoyable by not overburdening it with too many details, 
we will consider only the two more important layers of 
the skin—a deeper one, the dermis, and an outer, more 
horny covering, the epidermis. 
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