3 6 Of Feathers. 
trine art of the plumage alfo, which is fo curloufly 
wrought, and fo artificially interwoven, that it cannot 
"be view’d without admiration, efpecially if the eye be 
armed with a microfcope. 
Mr. Hook obferves, that the make and texture of 
their downy parts are moft admirable; for, fays he, there 
is fcarce a large feather, but contains near a million 
of diftinct parts, and every one of them regularly lhaped 5 
with his naked eye he counted 300 of the long downy 
branches on one fide, and an equal number on the 
other fide, of more fliff and fhorter branches, in a middle 
fized goofe quill, and examining many of thofe long 
downy branches with his microfcope, found feveral of 
them to contain near 1200 final! leaves, fuch as A B 
• 
of fig. 71. and as many ftalks on the other fide, fuch 
as A G, of the fame figure; each of thefe branchings 
A B, teemed divided into 16 or 18 frnall joints, out of 
moft of which grew long flender fibres,, as are expreffed 
in the figure, by abed, feveral of which terminated in 
a hook; thofe on the other fide were much fhorter, the 
ftalks A C were divided into as many knotted joints, 
but without firings or hooks, being divided at D into 
two parts, one fide extended from D towards C, in 
, length equal to A C, the other fide at D was very fihort. 
The tranfverfe fedlion of thefe flems or branches, were 
fhaped like EFGH, whofe covering appear’d like horn, 
and the pith like that of the main flem of the feather ; 
thefe flems or downy branches are fo ranged, that the 
leaves or hairy ftalks of the one, lie at top, or are 
incumbent on the ftalks of the other, and crofs each 
other, much after the manner of fig. 72. by which 
means, each of thofe little hooked fibres get between 
the naked ftalks, which being full of knots, and a 
pretty way disjoined, the two parts are fo clofely aqd 
admirably 
