Show WING VING FEATHERS the Iroil n alam i l feathers c aro peculiar to birds and t ni in typical form have a sli shaft altor cr still slid central roil fixed at one end cud into the skin and free lit alic other I 1 ronit the two opposite sides of this shaft row thin flat plates the bot or vane of the feather tins web however Is not a simple to solid t o id structure like I 1 IL piece ot of paper or even th the leaf of a plant it is co composed mosed of zin an im niease number of horny fi lamenti pla placed ced mile by side r and ami set obliquely on the shaft to which they alicy are fixed by their inner ends to understand what follows I 1 would ask my reader bays a writer in hood good words to take a gloo quill or a feather ol 01 0 tho the wing ol 01 any bird 1 I P d that may be at liand id and look at it carefully lie ile will see hec that sena ratu filaments ol of which the vane vane is composed technically called barbs although really distinct from each other and only ata attached elO to tile common ai torn at heir otheir base have a curious tendency to cling alln together so n ns to form a continuous structure and that it takes a sli slight lit but distine distinct t of force to so separate arute them and that alter they have been lullu 1 l or apart it if they are brought in contact again by gentlY 8 stroh tro kibe ih 0 the feather father in tilt the right direction or orby by waving it briskly through the air the they will join a vain as firel firmly as an before lie ile will also find that this operation may ay lie repeated an indefinite number of tamos dimsh of all the marvelous mechanical adaptations we met meet with v ith in nature there I 1 is bothin nothing I 1 more wonderful than that T r aich is seen in every feather of a urd bird the object is evidently to produce an expanded surface li strong and practically indea indestructible ruc tible oie capa capable bloof of ro resisting the pressure brought tu to bear upon it itin in burttine buRt tint inz the winds wills without ma i bently splitting or being torn in tatters |