Authors
Julia M. Chin '21, Gettysburg College
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Publication Date
Fall 2017
Department 1
Art
Abstract
Magnificent in its sheer power and beauty, this owl wing has a wingspan of 18 inches and measures 10 inches from the shoulder bone to the secondary feathers. Wings such as the one displayed play a vital role in the lifestyle of owls and other hunting birds who fulfill their dietary requirements through stealthy foraging in the dark of the night. Being predatory animals, an owl depends upon its wings as a weapon, equipping it with an arsenal worthy of any hunter. Because of their composition of downy feathers, soft fringes, and comb-like primary feathers, these light appendages create less audible sound waves through air, giving an owl the advantage of nearly silent flight. [excerpt]
Streaming Media
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Chin, Julia M., "Under the Wing of a Creature of the Night" (2017). Wonders of Nature and Artifice. 15.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/wonders_exhibit/15
Included in
Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Fine Arts Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Industrial and Product Design Commons, Intellectual History Commons
Comments
Produced as part of a collaboration between Kay Etheridge's course FYS-188: Exploration of the Marvelous: Art and Science in the Renaissance, and Felicia Else's course ARTH 284: Wonders of Nature and Artifice: The Renaissance Quest for Knowledge.
Original version online at http://wonder-cabinet.sites.gettysburg.edu/2017/cabinet/under-the-wing-of-a-creature-of-the-night/
Audio guide on the symbolism of owls included.