Feathers

Media

Part of The Young Citizen: The Magazine for Young People

Title: Feathers
Year: 1941
Rights
Fulltext: 2o8 THE YOUNG CITIZEN JUNE, 1941 FEATHERS A FEATHER is a heavy product of the skin of birds, of which it is the distinctive characteristic. It arises from a nipple at the bnttom of a pit in the skin that begins to form. long before the embryo is hatched. Around this nipple there forms a cap of secr.eted horny material that presently becomes loosened and is push.ed· up by another cap forming beneath it. Thus a tube results, which is the shaft or "quill" of the feather, and in which the succe~sion of "caps" may be seen. When the full size of the feather is reached, the growing process ceases, the root end of the. quill ·closes, and the T lie flight of a bird with "soit'' feathers (illustrated rm the left) is slow; that of a bird with " /lard0 feathers (illustraled ott the right) is swift. feather is easily pushed out, and may be discarded if necessary. · Even the inature feathers are not intended to be worn always. They become worn and torn and are shed or "molted" at least once a. year. The feathers are replaced by a new growth from the same source. A feather consists of two par.ts, the "quill" and the branching growths which form the "vane." Sometimes these branches are disconnected, or nearly so, a~ in down and in ostrich plumes. The difkrent kinds of structure. of feathers are very numerous. On. account of this and the beautiful colors of many, a feather. is one of the most beautiful things in nature: The colors' of feathers may be due to pigments, or may result from mechanical conditions. There are many colors and· patterns of colors. Feathers form a warmer covering than scales or hair. They keep out the ·cold and help to retain the heat of the body. T his causes a warmth of the body and produces bodily activity'. It is the acquirement .of feathers that has lifted bird life far above its ancestors, the reptiles. Feathers are useful to man in many different ways. They are used ·for bed-· ding and upholstery; feathers.and plumes are used for ornamental purposes. Woven feather cloaks are famous. Connected with the orn~mental use· of feathers are many highly significant and ceremonial usages that make the study of this phase of the subject very interesting. There are a number of superstiti1'.lns connected with the use of tea thers. These have survived from very ancient times. (Pleau turn to page l2t. ) }UNE, 19.p SCHOOL BANK (Continued from page 219) and the money is given him. The principal writes the word "withdrawn" across the card and after the pupil's name in tl'le deposit book; also the amount withdrawn. Drawing out time is during the thirty minutes each day after the dismissal of classes. If a pupil loses his deposit card, be can draw 011t his money just the. same, but has to pay. a fine of one centavo. The fines are put in our athletic equipment fund. Hardly any one ever loses the deposit card. Our school bank is very useful, because before it was started a number of pupils lost small sums of money given them by their parents. Now no one ever loses any money. SCHOOLROOM THE YOUNG CITIZE:-1 221 MUSIC DEMONSTRATION (Continued from page 219) FEATHERS (Continued from page 20.8) is the rhythm band, in QUESTIONS which variou.s percussion I. How is a feather proinstruments are played to duced by _a bird? keep time with music which 2. Name the· parts. of a is played on the piano. The feather. members · of the rhvthm 3. Why is a feather "one band have uniforms: and of the most beautiful things th~ leader wears a tall hat in nature"? and keeps time with a 4. How are feathers baton. used? Some of the older pupils 5. Why are birds above told about some of the great reptiles in intelligence? composers of music. We 6. What is a "soft" got this information from feather? different issues of -THE 7. What· birds have YOUNG CITIZEN. Our music "soft" feathers? teacher ·illustrated each of 8. What is these musicai biography feather? "hard" talks by playing on the 9. What birds have phonograph a composition "hard" feathers? by that composer. 10. If you live in or near Everybody was v er Y Manila, go to the Aquarium much pleased with our if possible, and look at the music demonstration, and feathers of different birds said that it showed that our there. school does good music work. It was so successful ----------. h Each week we study one ·(Continued from page 219) that our music teac er ~ays h h of these pictures. Our were sold. The money we may ave anot er next teacher has a book which . . year. Now we all will went mto our picture fund. work hard at our music in tells about many great Finally our teacher had . • ; paintings, so she tells us enough money in the fund, sc?ool, so yv_e wi_ll have nice about some picture which so that she ordered. many thm?s 10 give m_ our next is described in her book. beautiful pictures of differ- music demonstratwn. We learn something about ent sizes. We mounted · · the painters of the pictures. these on colored paper and pictures. ·on the side walls Many parents come to put them up in our room. we had mounted groups of see our "schoolroom beautiAcross the front of the room smaller pictures-many of ful" as we call it. So it is we made a frieze of fairly which were colored. In all having an influence in the large sized copies of famous we have more than a hun- community toward creating paintings. Above these dred different pictures in a love for beautiful picwe had two large framed our room. lures.