THE NATURALISTS’ COMPANION. 
5 
of plumage at least once a year. 
This general widespread moult takes 
place after the breeding season,when 
the feathers most need a change, be¬ 
cause of the wearing and soiling in¬ 
cident upon incubation. With most 
birds, at this time, all, or nearly all 
the feathers are shed and new ones 
take their place. This does not hap¬ 
pen to the powder down which is 
never moulted. This change is usual¬ 
ly so gi’adualthat seldom does a bird 
lose the power of flight. However, 
this does happen to some of the 
ducks. This change, though gradu¬ 
al, is yet so rapid that the drain up¬ 
on the delicate systems of the birds 
is very evident. Then it is that one 
sees the robins and other familiar 
birds skulking around the hedge 
rows and fence corners, evidently in 
distress and loath to take wing at 
alarms which at other times would 
occasion instant flight The very 
marked decrease of song also plain¬ 
ly tells of the depressed spirits of 
the birds. This unwelcome change 
ol toilet falls as well on the young of 
the year as upon the adults, and 
one can hardly conceive of a more 
woe begone specimen of bird life 
than is presented by one of these 
awkward, overgrown youngsters 
who for a second time in the same 
year have to pass through tortures 
to which the tooth cutting of chil¬ 
dren probably hears little comparison 
As birds are the most eesthetic of 
animals in their natural state, not 
excepting man, it is not surprising 
to And that they take great pride in 
their beautiful feathers, and that this 
should result in some marked change 
at certain periods ? When the male 
bird goes forth to seek a mate it is 
hut natural that he should desire to 
present the finest possible appear¬ 
ance. This desire finds embodi¬ 
ment in many curious appendages 
such as wmttles, various brightly 
colored excresences upon the body, 
etc.,wUich appear at this season and 
lasts for but a short time. These have 
there compliment in the crests and 
dorsal plumes of the herons and eg¬ 
rets, the rufl* of the European Rufi, 
MACHETES PUGNAX,the long tail feath¬ 
ers of the widow bird of Natal, and 
others whichappear just previous to 
the breeding season and shed pre¬ 
vious to the general fall moult. 
Thuir use in attracting the female 
must he very great for they are of 
much disadvantage to the bird in 
other ways, seriously impending 
his flight and by rendering it more 
conspicuous it is much more liable 
to fall a prey to other birds. Many 
birds are of entirely different color 
during the winter than in the sum¬ 
mer. The most obvious mode of 
effecting this change is at the annual 
fall moult. To regain their summer 
dress it is evident that there must he 
a second moult. This takes place 
in the spring. 
Primarily the object of feathers is 
to furnish protection to the body. 
Birds are the warmest blooded ver¬ 
tebrates and very sensitively organ- 
ized;yet in a few seconds they change 
from the arctic cold of immense alti¬ 
tudes to the burning sands of torrid 
deserts. Secondly, feathers are for 
flight, and how well they serve their pur¬ 
pose ill this particular is apparent when 
one recollects that a frightened duck will 
often fly a mile in thirty seconds; that an 
eagle will circle from the earth until lost 
to sight with no preceptible motion of his 
wings. Thirdly, they are of use as a pro¬ 
tection from sight. The woodcock is al¬ 
most absolutely invisible in its surround¬ 
ings. Fourthly, they serve as limbs. The 
tail of the chimney swallow is a iamiliar 
example ;also the creepers and woodpeckers 
The fifth use we may consider to be the at¬ 
traction of the opposite sext .”—Heralds 
