STUDY X. 89 



Antilles, and the perroquet of the Moluccas, cal- 

 led cacatoès ; but fhe has bellowed, at the fame 

 time, on their plumage, a difpofition which 

 weakens the reflection of it. 



Farther, it is very remarkable, that me has fur- 

 nifhed the heads of thofe birds with tufts and 

 plumes of feathers, which overfhadow them, be- 

 caufe, as was formerly obferved, the head is that 

 part of the body, which, in the animal economy, 

 ftands moft in need of being kept cool. Such is 

 our crefied hen, which comes originally from Nu- 

 midia. Nay, I do not believe, that there are to 

 be found in any but fouthern countries, birds 

 with tufted heads. If there are fome toward the 

 North, as the lapwing, they make their appear- 

 ance there only in Summer. Moft of thofe of the 

 North, on the contrary, have the belly and the feet 

 clothed with tippets formed of down fimilar to the 

 fined of wool. 



This, likewife, is farther worthy of remark, re- 

 fpecting the white birds and quadrupeds of the 

 South, which live in a hot Atmofphere, namely, 

 if I am not miftaken, that the fkin of them all is 

 black, which is fufEcient to counterbalance the 

 reflection of the colour of their exterior drefs. 

 Robert Knox, in fpeaking of certain white quadru- 

 peds of the Ifland of Ceylon, fays, that their fkin 



is 



