ClafsII. GOOSE. 449 



feather are inferior to thofe of the goofej turkey's fea- 

 thers are the word 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 beenfurprized that no experiments 

 Jiad been made on the feathers of the Auk tribe, as 

 fuch numbers refort to our rocks annually, and pro- 

 mife from the appearance of their plumage to furnifh 

 a warm and foft feather ; but we have lately been in- 

 formed that fome unfuccefsful trials have been made 

 at Glajgow, a gentleman who had made a voyage to 

 the weftern Ifles and brought fome of the feathers 

 home with a laudable defign of promoting the trade 

 of our own country, attempted to render them fit for 

 life, firft by baking, then by boiling them, but their 

 flench was fo often five that the Glafgow people could 

 not be prevailed on to leave off their correfpondence 

 with Dantzick. The dilagreeable fmell of thefe fea- 

 thers muft be owing to the quantity of oil that all 

 water fowls ufe from the glandules of their rump to 

 preferve and fmooth their feathers, and as fea birds 

 muft expend more of this unction than other water 

 fowl, being almoft perpetually on that element, and 

 as their food is entirely fifh, that oil muft receive a 

 great ranknefs, and communicate it to the plumage, 

 fo as to render it abfolutely unfit for ufe. 



Ff4 The 



