14 HABITS OF BIRDS. 



the basin to bathe in, show her some small river or 

 brook for that purpose. By this use of bathing she 

 gains strength and a sharp appetite, and thereby 

 grows bold ; but that day wherein she batheth give 

 her no washed meat. If you would make your 

 falcon upwards, the next day after she hath bathed 

 get on horseback, either in the morning or evening, 

 and choose out some field wherein are no rooks or 

 pigeons ; then take your lure well garnished on both 

 sides, and having unhooded your hawk, give her a 

 bit or two on the lure, then hood her ; afterwards 

 go leisurely against the wind, then unhood her, and 

 before she bate or find any check in her eye, whistle 

 her off from your fist fair and softly*." 



Did these birds require to oil their feathers after 

 every washing, an immensely larger gland than any 

 of them are furnished with, would be indispensable 

 to supply the requisite quantity; while it would pre- 

 vent their feathers from being wetted at all, though 

 this seems to be their aim in the operation, for the 

 purpose, amongst other things, of getting rid of 

 parasite insects. The head, however, which they 

 cannot reach with their bill, and which cannot there- 

 fore be daubed with the oil, is the most liable to 

 be thus infected; and accordingly we often see cage 

 birds content themselves with wetting their heads, 

 without touching the rest of the body. They may 

 also be frequently seen combing or scratching their 

 heads with their claws, no doubt with a similar 

 design. This circumstance has given rise to a 

 curious discussion concerning the intended use of the 

 claws of some species, among which are the night-jar 

 and the herons, that are furnished with small teeth 

 like a saw or comb. 



* Ornithology, by Ray, p. 402. 



