The Anatomy of the Feather Follicle and Its Immediate Surroundings

Abstract A SEARCH of the literature reveals very little information on the anatomy of the feather follicle and its immediate surroundings. Most of the information available on this subject is in regard to the muscles which move the feather and was reported in the nineteenth century. The muscles of the feather follicle were first described by Nitsch (1840), who reported that four separate muscles were usually attached to the follicle of each contour feather although sometimes six and more rarely five were present. Seuffert (1862) observed that contour feathers of the trunk region usually had two to four separate muscles. He stated that the muscles were unstriated and attached to the follicle by elastic tendons. These muscles were observed to course from the lower part of one follicle to the upper part of an adjacent follicle. Similar observations were made by Helm (1884). Langley (1902) noted that each feather follicle in…