e main feathers of the
wing closed. The secondaries are folded over the primaries; and the
primaries shut up close, with their outer edges parallel, or nearly so.
Fig. 8 roughly shows the outline of the bones, in this position, of one
of the larger pigeons.[15]

[Illustration: FIG. 7.]

[Illustration: FIG. 8.]

[15] I find even this mere outline of anatomical structure so
interferes with the temper in which I wish my readers to think,
that I shall withdraw it in my complete edition.

75. Then Fig. 9 is (always sketched in the roughest way) the outer,
Fig. 10 the inner, surface of a sea-gull's wing in this position. Next,
Fig. 11 shows the tops of the four lowest feathers in Fig. 9, in mere
outline; A separate (pulled off, so that they can be set side by side),
B shut up close in the folded wing, C, opened in the spread wing.

[Illustration: FIG. 9.]

[Illustration: FIG. 10.]

[Illustration: FIG. 11.]

76. And now, if you will yourselves watch a few birds in flight, or
opening and closing their wings to prune them, you will soon know as
much as is needful for our art purposes; and, which is far more
desirable, feel how very little we know, to any purpose, of even the
familiar creatures that are our companions.

Even what we have seen to-day[16] is more than appears to have been
noticed by the most careful painters of the great schools; and you will
continually fancy that I am inconsistent with myself in pressing you to
learn, better than they, the anatomy of birds, while I violently and
constantly urge you to refuse the knowledge of the anatomy of men. But
you will find, as my system develops itself, that it is absolutely
consistent throughout. I don't mean, by telling you not to study human
anatomy, that you are not to know how many fingers and toes you have,
nor how you can grasp and walk with them; and, similarly, when you look
at a bird, I wish you to know how many claws and wing-feathers it has,
and how it grips and flies with them. Of the bones, in either, I shall
show you little; and of the muscles, nothing but what can be seen in
the living creature, nor, often, even so much.

[16] Large and somewhat carefully painted diagrams were shown at
the lecture, which I cannot engrave but for my complete edition.

77. And accordingly, when I now show you this sketch of my favorite
Holbein, and tell you that it is entirely disgraceful he should not
know what a wing was, better, I