书城教材教辅科学读本(英文原版)(套装1-6册)
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第190章 第三册(15)

"I suppose very few of the ladies who wear thebeautiful feathers have any idea of the torture the poor birds suffer to provide for their dress. It always makes me very angry when I think about it.""It"s just as cruel to slaughter other birds," said Willie, "by thousands, as they do, for nothing else but their beautiful feathers. Of course it is always the most beautiful of the birds that they choose. If I were a lady I would never wear one of the dreadful feathers.""I"m sure I never will," said Norah, with a shudder. "How cruel it is!""Teacher showed us some quill pens," said Fred. "They are made of the wing feathers of the goose and swan. We rarely see quill pens now. They are not so much used as they once were. Nearly every one writes now with a steel pen. But the quill pen is still used for certain purposes, and a small pen made of the crow quill is the best for some kinds of drawing." "The clothing or body feathers of birds are very largely used for stuffing beds, pillows, and cushions. The birds which supply most of the feathers for this purpose are the poultry birds and wild fowl. They are killed for food, and the feathers are pluckedfrom their dead bodies."