Recent discoveries in the Orkneys have cast some little doubt, albeit not much of a little, on BWL's theory of early kilt materials, at least up in the Orkneys.

Preserved in a beet bog a kilt made entirely of chicken feathers was found by Nils MacNilson in 1956. MacNilson, a local former, used it until his death in 2005 as a cover and comforter for his forms. He told his son, "Aye, laddie, an' it keeps 'em reat wahrm an' comfy, it does" many times, so often that the kid got sick of it. The story of the feather kilt was documented not only by MacNilson's diary, but by the archealogist who was with him when he found it.

DNA samples from the feathers demonstrate conclusively that the kilt was indeed made from the feather of the chicks of the legendary Giant Chickens of Scotland, those used by the Picts and Chufles as their war mounts.

The kilt itself is crudely dyed in the plaid of the Clan Offal, a sett of bile green over puke beige and bruise blue. The belt around the top of the kilt -- a feature not often seen today -- is braided of crude rawhide strips with the hair side inside (which probably caused the wearer a certain amount of discomfort).

The kilt is currently undergoing restoration and study at the Musee d'Orkney in Glensgudal, where it can be viewed by appointment.