232 GREY LAG GOOSE. Class II. 



son* s- Bay, Greenland, Iceland and Norxvay ; 

 our own islands west of Scotland breed numbers 

 of these birds, and offer a profitable branch of 

 trade to the poor inhabitants. Hudson s-Bai/ 

 also furnishes a very fine feather, supposed to be 

 of the goose kind. 



The down of the swan is brought from Dant^ 

 zic. The same place also sends us a considera- 

 ble supply of the feathers of the cock and hen. 

 The Londoji poulterers sell a great quantity of 

 the feathers of those birds, and of ducks and 

 turkies ; those of ducks being a weaker feather, 

 are inferior to those of the goose ; turkey's fea- 

 thers are the worst of any. 



The best method of curing feathers is to lay 

 them in a room in an exposure to the sun, and 

 when dried to put them in bags, and beat them 

 well with poles to get the dirt off. 



We have often been surprized that no experi- 

 ments had been made on the feathers of the 

 Auk tribe, as such numbers resort to our rocks 

 annually, and promise, from the appearance of 

 their plumage, to furnish a warm and soft fea- 

 ther; but we have lately been informed, that 

 some unsuccessful trials have been made at 

 Glasgow : a gentleman who had visited the 

 Western isles, and brought some of the feathers 

 home with a laudable design of promoting the 



