Evening star., 1936-09-22

ness, although no doubt some grumpy
persons might call it 80.
1t is simply q determination, either
natural or cultivated, to grasp all the
good out of life as one goes along, in
stead OF permitting 50 much of 1t to
escape.
This Unsuitable curiosity ct all things,
and admiration of them IL 1t is at all
possible, is the best way in the world to
be an optimist. There is q great deal
of talk about optimism, when all the
time very little Is said as to how to attain
this happy state of mind. 1t may be
power of will, with some, but only q
few persons have such will power; with
most persons the optimistic state is
merely q matter Of fair health, REIN
forced by an Unsuitable curiosity, which
prevents them from ever becoming bored.
One reads, upon occasion, Of the un-
happy state of modern factory workers,
practically chained to a machine, with
the same monotonous task hour after
hour. What would such a writer think,
II he could know that some of these
workers actually become interested in
what they do! Not only interested in
the task in hand, but especially in the
lights and shadows of their task, as re-
flected In the machine, in its physical
and mental aspects. For machines have
brains, too, in a sense.
The collector of bird feathers, at least,
has a different hobby.
His finds" are easily kept: an old
book will do very well. The pinions can
be placed between the leaves with the
tips sticking out. An ordinary book will
hold many scores Of feathers. large and
small, with the tip plainly revealing, in
most cases, just which bird owned 1t
once.
Not all the feathers can be identified,
OF course. If one OF the smallest feathers
OF big bird is the one up for identifi-
cation, there is every chance that 1t
may be chalked up as having belonged to
q sparrow, warbler or whatnot in the
bird line.
Identification, after all, is not so i'm
portant In this gentle mania. The
feathers, like jewels, are just as much
feathers, no matter If one cannot de-
termine exactly which bird they be-
longed to originally. Even a trained
ornithologist might be hard put to 1t
to determine the bird.
Feathers, in themselves are among the
most interesting of natural objects. They
always have held q great fascination
for primitive peoples. as witness the
headdresses Of our own Indians. Modern
invention has given them a new prestige
When we think of the airplane, with its
wings, we think of bird and its feathers
talthough recent studies tend to prove
that the movements of certain flying
fishes. So-called. are nearer to airplane
flight.
Bird feathers, In their symmetry and
coloring. and, above all, purpose, and true
fulhllment of that purpose, are among
the most wonderful natural objects,
whether We consider them in the aggre-
gate or singly, one by one Recent
scientific studies have shown that even
the smallest birds have hundreds of
feathers each year, to keep them warm,
shed water and, above all. form the
wings and tail, without which no bird
could be bird at all, but a pathetic
something in strange and hostile world
Their feathers are their truest indica-
tors, as We look at them. It is the
feathers we see, and keep in mind, in
determining the species, in most cases
OF identification. collection, made
over the years. Is something to think
about