Summary
1. The water-repellency of the feathers of ducks is greatly increased by a structural feature which can be expressed in terms of diameter and spacing of the barbs and barbules.
2. This structural parameter is smaller for cormorant's feathers and causes a lesser extent of water repellency.
3. The resulting wetness of the feathers is the proximate cause of the cormorant's characteristic habit of wing-spreading.
- Copyright © 1968 The Company of Biologists Ltd.
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