64 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Curious yellow dust, or powder, on the plumage. 



liners of his back, they also produced a dust, <>!' 

 the colour of the feathers. This dust was not in 

 small quantities; for, upon striking the breast, it 

 flew in greater quantity than from a hair-dresser's 

 powder-puff. The feathers of the belly and 

 breast, which were of a gold colour, did not ap- 

 pear to have any thing extraordinary in their for- 

 mation ; but the large feathers in the shoulders 

 and wings seemed apparently to be fine tubes, 

 which, upon pressure, scattered this dust upon 

 the finer part of the feather ; but this was brown, 

 the colour of the feathers of the back. Upon 

 the side of the wing, the ribs, or hard part of the 

 feathers, seemed to be bare, as if worn : or, I ra- 

 ther think, were renewing themselves, having 

 before failed in their functions. 



" What is the reason of this extraordinary 

 provision of nature, it is not in my power to de- 

 termine: but as it is an unusual one, it is proba- 

 bly meant for a defence against the climate, in 

 favour of the birds which live in those almost 

 inaccessible heights of a country doomed, even 

 in its lower parts, to several months excessive 

 rain." 



The same day our author shot a heron ; which 

 differed in no respect from ours, except that it 

 was smaller, and had upon its breast and back a 

 blue powder. 



