THE DIPPER. 191 



from the fact that the feathers of the dipper " may 

 remain half an hour or more in the water without 

 receiving damage," he nullifies his inference by ad- 

 ducing a subsequent fact, that the feathers of a robin 

 or a thrush, " if they have only fallen into the water 

 for a few minutes, become totally spoiled, as far as 

 the purposes of stuffing are concerned;" for the 

 robin and the thrush have the oil-gland as completely 

 developed, and as perfect in every point of view, as 

 that of the dipper. If, then, the feathers of the 

 dipper are preserved from injury in the water by the 

 contents of the oil-gland, surely, by a parity of rea- 

 soning, those of the robin and the thrush ought to be 

 equally preserved. But the Rev. Mr. Morris informs 

 us that the feathers of the robin and the thrush be- 

 come totally spoiled, as far as the purposes of stuffing 

 are concerned, if they have only fallen into the 

 water for a few minutes. This I consider tantamount 

 to an avowal, on the part of the reverend ornitholo- 

 gist, that the robin and the thrush do not lubricate 

 their feathers. So much for the oil-gland, and its 

 supposed uses. 



I will now take the liberty of assuring the Rev. 

 Mr. Morris, that the feathers of the robin and the 

 thrush do not become totally spoiled, as far as the 

 purposes of stuffing are concerned, by immersion in 

 the water; on the contrary, their plumage is improved 

 by it. Merses profundo, pulchrior evcnit. 1 will 

 engage to steep a robin and a thrush for a whole 

 day in a basin of water, and make better specimens 

 of them than if I had stuffed them before they had 

 undergone the immersion. 



