Feather These barbules have minute hooks called barbicels for cross-attachment. Down feathers are fluffy because they lack barbicels, so the barbules float free of each other, allowing the down to trap air and provide excellent thermal insulation. At the base of the feather, the rachis expands to form the hollow tubular "calamus" (or quill) which inserts into a follicle in the skin. The basal part of the calamus is without vanes. This part is embedded within the skin follicle and has an opening at the base (proximal umbilicus) and a small opening on the side (distal umbilicus). Hatchling birds of some
Bird on a Wire (film) various ways by the animals. Wounded, Rick winds up suspended over a tiger in a pit, requiring Marianne to save him. Not quite able to reach him, he offers her the extra incentive of marriage and children, which does the trick. They are then seen boating into the sunset in the Caribbean. "Bird on a Wire" gained a mixed to negative reception. The film holds a 32% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 22 reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. "Bird on a Wire" debuted at #1