in physiology, a general name for the covering of birds; it being common to all the animals of this class to have their whole body, or at least the greatest part of it, covered with feathers or plumage.

Feathers make a considerable article of commerce. Those from Somersetshire are esteemed the best, and those from Ireland the worst.—Eider down is imported from Denmark, the ducks that supply it being inhabitants of Hudson's bay, Greenland, Ireland, and Norway. Our own Islands west of Scotland breed numbers of these birds, and might turn out a profitable branch of trade to the poor inhabitants. Hudson's bay also furnishes very fine feathers, supposed to be of the goose kind. The down of the swan is brought from Dantzig. The same place also sends us great quantities of the feathers of the cock and hen. The London poulterers sell a great quantity of the feathers of those birds, and of ducks and turkeys; those of ducks being a weaker feather, are inferior to those of eiderdown; and turkeys' feathers 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.