Thanks, Nancy and Bill, for the info from The Birder's Handbook. There's a
lot of valuable stuff in there, and I'm always hoping, deep down, that
people will look into their libraries for answers to questions that come
up, but in our electronic age, I guess it's easier to go to your computer
screen for the answer. And, of course, The Birder's Handbook and all the
other great literature should be right there available on your screen--but
that's another discussion.

If it's feather structure that makes cormorants wettable, as Chris Hill
nicely pointed out, then the plot really thickens. Someone should compare
wing feathers of Double-crested with those of Pelagic and Brandt's to see
if there are any differences. I'll do it in my spare time one of these
days.....

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416