Feathers

I picked these feathers up a few years ago, on a beach in Northumberland, and have kept them ever since. They've been in a cupboard with other treasures for a while now, so this is an outing for them. I think they must be from wading birds, judging by the barred pattern, and where I found them, but I'm not sure which species. 

The spine of each feather describes a perfectly elegant curve, and the irregularity of the patterning only serves to emphasize the simple beauty of that essential form.