62 



OIL GLANDS OF BIRDS. 



Moreover, the nipple, in general, is crowned with a 

 circle of feathers ; and in all waterfowl which I have 

 examined in the duck tribe, from the swan down- 

 wards, the whole of the gland itself is covered with 

 a very thick downy plumage, which would totally 

 prevent the bird from procuring any liquid from 

 that quarter. 



1 will now show that this oily liquor would injure 

 the feathers. The feathers of birds, when in a per* 

 fectly dry state, have a beautiful and downy appear- 

 ance ; in a wet state, the downy appearance is lost, 

 but returns when all the moisture is gone : if, how- 

 ever, any greasy substance or oily liquor has come 

 in contact with them, I do not know what could be 

 employed to restore the downy appearance to its 

 pristine beauty Let any body apply the oil from 

 the gland in question to a feather, and he will pro- 

 duce a fixed stain. 



Suppose, for sake of argument, that the bird does 

 actually employ oil from the gland to lubricate the 

 plumage, (which, by the by, I flatly deny,) how is 

 the head and part of the neck to be supplied with 

 oil ? Why, the truth is, they never can be supplied: 

 and if you examine, v/ith the nicest scrutiny, the 

 feathers of the body which come within the range 

 of the bill, and the feathers of the head, which are 

 out of the range of the bill, and then compare them, 

 you will not observe the smallest difference in their 

 downy appearance : proof positive that the plumage 

 of the body has not been lubricated with oil from 

 the gland. 



In the Magazine of Natural History y vol. i. p. 1 19» 



