()RXITH()L( )GI1ST 
[Vol 7-No. 17 
i:^() 
Recent Publications. 
“The Sectret of Wings” was a recof^zed 
coiiundrura even in the days of King Solo¬ 
mon, and the curiosity of most observers 
of our feathered fnends must frequently 
have been awakened on this same point. 
Mr. Starkweather seems to have shed light 
on the subject at last, claiming indeed to 
have reduced the philosophy of flight to so 
exact a system that simple experiments 
with a canary or pigeon will sustain his po¬ 
sition and ocularly demonstrate the truth 
of his theoiw. He goes back to the verti¬ 
cal stroke claimed by Borelli, reviews the 
downward and liackward and the upward 
and forward strokes so generally believed 
in ; the twisting, rotating and bending of 
feathers and wings, and other cuirent hy¬ 
potheses, showing the objections to each. 
He studies the contrasts and analogies of 
Iirogressiou in fishes, insects and birds, the 
flying-fish, bat, etc. ; compares the poising 
of the gold-fi.sh and the humming-bird, 
notes and explains the “swallow-tail” in 
birds that feed on the wing and the same 
peculiarity in fishes of analogous habits. 
He shows why the wing is concave, the 
quill feathers one-sided, and shows the 
striking difference of function in those 
that are at right angles with and those 
parallel to the body. The design of each 
is so clearly given that “the way of an 
eagle in the air” can hardlj’ be called a 
mystery any longer. He evidently views 
the subject from a utilitarian standpoint 
and assures aeronauts that for them his 
work is “replete with seed thoughts.” 
“ Buioiit Fe.vthers.” Regarding my 
“ Bright Feathers.” would say that the 
work will be comjilete in twelve or fifteen 
parts. It will be devoted entirely to our 
native birds noted for brightness and 
beauty of plunrage colorations. 
I am aware that there may be no particular 
necessity for such a work, but it is aft'ord- 
iiig me much iileasure in its execution. It 
is all my own work. The ]ilates. initials 
and otlier drawings of nests and eggs, 
when they apjiear, are photo-engraved re- 
jiroductions of pen and ink drawngs of 
my own execution. The coloring is also 
my own, and fails. I must confess, to arrive 
at as high a standard of exactness and ex¬ 
cellence as I desire. This is owdng to fre¬ 
quent interruptions and coloring by lamp 
light. I give only my evenings and spare 
moments to the work, and follow it up from 
pure love of the science. I sent you Part 
IV, — more on account of the concejition 
of “the oologist” than anvthing else, 
thinking it might please you to have it. I 
had your interesting little publication in 
mind when I made it. 
The edition of “Bright Feathers” is 
small, (only 200 copies, which becomes 
large when one has to hand-color all the 
plates as he can snatch time), and the ex¬ 
pense of its publication is just about met 
by local subscriptions. In the last two num¬ 
bers of the work I jiropose to give a dupli¬ 
cate set of impressions from the plates, 
without color, so that each possessor of a 
set shall have the figures both colored and 
uncolored. 
I have in mind, after this is done, to de¬ 
stroy all the plates. This ^rill. I think, 
make the work of some value to bibliophiles 
and enable me to secure some retuni for 
such sets as I may have left. Vliat do 
you think of such a course ? I judge from 
the tenor of your publication and the occa¬ 
sional bookish strain of the advertisements, 
that you are curious for rare works, espec¬ 
ially those relating in any way to oniithol- 
ogv. .\llow me to say that Part III was 
very hastily executed ; beside an error in 
the scientific name, several infelicities of 
exjiression occur, which would have been 
corrected had I been at home to attend 
to it. — R. Rnthhini, Auhuru, 
Xetn York. 
(The above wan wrillen tn annwcr to eome question pul 
by us about the work ** Bright Fenthen*.’* It **iales the r*i»e 
so clearly about a work that Is too little kn<»wn. that we 
have taken the lilierty to iHiblish it, helping that some of 
our Headers will become tM*lu*r acquainted with “ Brijfht 
Keathen*.** aw well as the author.—Kn.) 
