`` you see , according to the myth , daedalus , who was both an artist and an architect , studied the birds on crete , mostly sea gulls , i guess , and figured that if man could attach feathers to his arms , feathers being close to air in density , and in motion almost as light as air- '' `` please , gerry , if i hear that one more time , i 'm going to burn every bulfinch i come across for the rest of my life ! ''