Retrospective Criticism. 277 



old and long-received notion that birds lubricate their 

 feathers : first, because any oily application is injurious to 

 feathers ; secondly, because we have no incontrovertible 

 proof, from any writer, that birds do actually lubricate their 

 plumage ; thirdly, because, after years of close observation, 

 I have never once been able to detect birds in the act of 

 lubricating their plumage. 



Mr. Westwood's communication (p. 160.) is very inter- 

 esting. I was not aware that the petrel could be kept alive 

 so long in solitary confinement, especially when taken from 

 its incubation. I think that it must have sucked (if I may 

 use the word) the applied train oil, both as a means of 

 nutriment, and as a way to clean the pectoral plumage of its 

 incumbrance. Then, again, I am totally at a loss to account 

 for its dipping the breast voluntarily into the oil ; unless it 

 were that hunger and confinement, added to a week's in- 

 struction, operated conjointly, with the prisoner, to cause it 

 to imitate a process which it would never have performed, 

 when free, in its own native haunts. Lubrication must nave 

 been out of the question, otherwise, having so fine an op- 

 portunity, it would not have attended solely to the breast, 

 and neglected the other parts of its plumage. 



{The Green Sandpiper, p. 149.] I beg to take this oppor- 

 tunity to inform Mr. Doubleday, that I know nothing of me 

 haunts of the green sandpiper, except from books :' I hafve 

 never seen it here. — Charles Waterton, Walton Hall. March 



19. 1833. . rJbl ri 



On Birds lubricating their Plumage from an Oil Gland. 

 (p. 162.) — Sir, In consequence of the remarks of Mr. W. 

 G. Barker (p. 162.) on mine (Vol. V. p . 588.), ^i again 

 trouble you. Since I parted with the turtle dove, I have 

 reared a ringdove (Columba Palumbus Lin.) which fell 

 from its nest in our garden one windy day last August, and, 

 like the former bird, is allowed the range of my room, and is 

 perfectly tame. Generally, when pluming itself, it applies its 

 bill to the rump gland three or four times, by pinching it, and 

 on withdrawing the bill, immediately scratches it first on one 

 side with one claw, and then on the other with the other, as 

 if to get rid. of something unpleasant which it had procured 

 (the turtledove I never observed to do so), and then it will 

 go on pluming. I had also a skylark (y41auda arvensis Lin.) 

 which I reared from the nest, and whenever it was let out of 

 its cage on the floor" it would begin pluming, and applied to 

 the gland and acted afterwards in precisely the same way the 

 ringdove does, except that the leg was always thrust between 

 its wing and body. Mr. Barker says, it is evident that my 



o oi gad I ^'itrnitnuz 



