CHAPTER SIXTEEN WILD DUCKS 



keeps his feathers in a position to throw off and prevent the 

 water from entering between them. This power is of course 

 lost to the dead bird, and the water penetrating through the 

 outer part of the feathers wets them all. This appears to be 

 more likely than that the feathers should be only kept dry 

 by the oil supplied by the bird, as the effect of this oil could 

 not be so instantaneously lost as to admit of wet as soon as 

 the bird drops dead, while if the bird be only wounded 

 they remain dry. 





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