Re: feathers for brooding

[John Bois <jbois@umd5.umd.edu>]

On Fri, 24 Apr 1998, Jeff Hecht wrote:
> Larry Martin did note that the Oviraptor eggs seemed to be buried
> in the sand, but the animal could have taken an instinctive protective
> position to cover the eggs in a downpour, and been caught surprised by a
> wet-sand avalanche (which I believe is now thought responsible for the
> deposits).

In support of this is the observation of a (_C. niloticus_, I think)
crocodilian covering its nest during a downpour.  This, presumably, is to
prevent suffocation of the embryos since the water replaces oxygen in the
pores of the sand and oxygen diffuses through water 10,000 times slower
than air.