Class II. GREY LAG GOOSE. 573 



merce-, thofe from Somerfetjhire are efteemed the 

 bed ; and thofe from Ireland the word. 



It will not here be foreign to the fubject to 

 oive fome account of the feathers that other birds 

 and other countries fupply our IJland with, which 

 was communicated to us by an intelligent per- 

 fon in the feather trade. 



Eider down is imported from Denmark, the 

 ducks that fupply it being inhabitants of Hudforfs- 

 Bay, Greenland, Iceland and Norway ; our own ifl- 

 ands weft of Scotland breed numbers of thefe birds, 

 and might turn out a profitable branch of trade to 

 the poor inhabitants. Hudfon's-Bay alfo furnifhes 

 a very fine feather, fuppoied to be of the goofe 

 kind. 



The down of the fwan is brought from Dant- 

 zick. The fame place alfo fends us great quantity 

 of the feathers of the cock and hen. The Lon- 

 don poulterers fell a great quantity of the feathers 

 of thofe birds, and of ducks and turkies; thofe 

 of ducks being a weaker feather, are inferior to 

 thofe of the goofe ; turkey's feathers are the worft 

 of any. 



The beft method of curing feathers is to lay them 

 in a room in an expofure to the fun, and when 

 dried to put them in bags, and beat them well 

 with poles to get the dirt off. 



We have often been furprized that no expe- 

 riments had been made on the feathers of the Auk 

 tribe, as fuch numbers refort to our rocks annu- 

 ally, 



