22 



COLOURS OF THE FEATHERS OF BIRDS. 



Many birds, also, are very different in their winter plumage from 

 what they appear in the summer, and this without any change of 

 feathers in the spring ; a circumstance which may be commonly 

 observed in many of our native finches — as the chaffinch, the linnet, 

 the brambling, and others. 



This apparent change usually takes place in the following manner : 

 when the new feathers appear, at the annual autumnal moult, they 

 are edged with a kind of fringe of another colour, and usually of a 

 more sombre hue. This fringe is merely a continuation of the barbs of 

 the feather, and is, in many instances, of precisely the same texture, 

 although generally of a rather warmer and more downy nature ; but 

 where the two colours meet, that is, at the actual place where this 

 fringe joins the end of the feather, the texture is much finer : so that, 

 if we were to pull one of the little plumelets, or barbs of the feather, it 

 would infallibly break at this place, Now, as the feathers of a bird 

 are arranged one over another, in such a manner as that their termi- 

 nations only are seen, it of course follows that the bird appears in a 

 very different dress in the winter season from that which it wears in 

 the summer, when all these edgings have fallen off. Accordingly, the 

 head and neck of a male stonechat now appear brown, but, if we were 

 to turn aside the feathers, we should perceive that the edges only are 

 of that colour ; in the summer they are of a jet black. I may remark 

 in passing, that the feathers on the back of this bird present the same 

 appearance as those of the head and neck, being black at the base, and 

 edged with brown ; but those of the back retain their brown edging 

 throughout the year. The feathers, also, on the neck of a cock chaf- 

 finch, at this period of the year, show considerable contrast of colour 

 between the back and its termination, or edging ; the former being of 

 a bluish grey, while the latter is of a reddish brown. A beautiful 

 provision of nature is here evinced, by which the feathers of these 

 birds are longer, and, of course, form a warmer covering in winter 

 than in summer. 



Fig, I 



Feathers from the breast of the linnet, figured from specimens magnified. Fig. 1. New fea- 

 thers with their brown fringe. Fig. 2. The older feathers in spring, when the beards have 

 fallen off. 



