. The bird, its form and function . irds, such as the Junco, the Meadowlark, andthe Vesper Sparrow, w^hich have the lateral feathers of the tail white; but in thesecases the first theory seemsat least more probable, asthese birds live in flocks andin a more or less open en-vironment, where such a sig-nal would have the greatestchance for use. When aJunco is upon the ground,its black and gray plumagerenders it very inconspicu-FiG. 329.—Tail of Junco. ous, but the iustant it takes to wing, out flashes the white V in its tail. We have seen that not a portion of the external partsof the bird has e
. The bird, its form and function . irds, such as the Junco, the Meadowlark, andthe Vesper Sparrow, w^hich have the lateral feathers of the tail white; but in thesecases the first theory seemsat least more probable, asthese birds live in flocks andin a more or less open en-vironment, where such a sig-nal would have the greatestchance for use. When aJunco is upon the ground,its black and gray plumagerenders it very inconspicu-FiG. 329.—Tail of Junco. ous, but the iustant it takes to wing, out flashes the white V in its tail. We have seen that not a portion of the external partsof the bird has escaped, in one species or another, beingutilized for ornament; generally, as well as we can tell,as some decoration to attract or charm the female. Tailsbear even more than their share of adornment, which wecannot pass by without mention, although, as dealing withthe psychological side of bird life, any discussion of thisquestion is outside the province of this volume. Some-times it is only some slight addition to the feathers of. Tails 415 the tail proper, as the elongated middle feathers of themale Pintail Duck and the Sharp-tailed Grouse. Turning to a few of the more decorative tails in theworld of birds, we find a small Australian bird, knownas the Emeu-wren, bearing aloft a half-dozen long feathers,so scantily clothed with barbs as to resemble somewhatthe plumage of the Emeu itself. These skeleton plumes,for they are little else, while giving a striking appearance
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