"Oh no," said his sister. "I know the three kinds of feathers which birds have-the quill feathers of the wings and tail, the body or clothing feathers, and the under-jacket of down.""Teacher has been showing us that all these arevery useful to us in their own way. Shall I see what I can remember of our lesson?""Oh yes, do, Fred, please," said Norah.
"Well then, let us begin with the quill feathers. These are mostly used for adorning ladies" hats and bonnets. The most beautiful and costly feathers are the wing feathers of the ostrich, a great bird ever so much bigger than a man.
"In Africa there are large ostrich farms, where these birds are reared solely for their feathers, and I am sorry to have to say, Norah, that the cruel people of those farms pluck the feathers at regular seasons from the poor birds while they are alive.
