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
What a queer bird What a queer bird "What a queer bird" is a poem of unclear origin. It first can be found in print in 1922, rapidly disseminating across dozens of publications in the United States that year. "What a queer bird" is a poem, folk song, or essay that may be sung as a round. It first can be found in print in 1922, rapidly disseminating across dozens of publications in the United States that year, but its precise origin is unclear. The words are as follows: In 1922, multiple United States publications attributed the poem or essay to "a young Norwegian