Mr. North incubates his egg while raindrops bead on his feathers and roll down his back. Fortunately, he has about 7,000 feathers to protect him from the weather. Different sources provide different answers about how many things birds do with their feathers, but all of them agree that insulation is important. The rain beading on Mr. North’s back shows us that feathers are insulative and water-resistant: the rain beads up on Mr. North’s back, but doesn’t reach his skin. Feather