128 Mr W. Macgillivray on. the Covering of Birds. 



continue so until rubbed off, which, in some species, and in cer- 

 tain parts of the body, the head, in particular, does not take 

 place until the bird has been fully fledged. 



To recapitulate, the plumage consists ofybathers, properly so 



called, which are ordinary or quills, the former sometimes sim- 

 ple, more frequently furnished with an accessory feather ; o^ plu- 

 mules or down feathers ; sometimes mixed with feathers having 

 a structure intermediate between the double feather and plu- 

 mule, and denominated Jlalie feathers ; and of piliform feathers, 

 or feathers resembling hairs ; the plumules, flake-feathers, and 

 hair-feathers, being always, as well as in almost every case, the 

 accessory feathers, concealed among the true feathers, the extre- 

 mities of which alone form the surface of the plumage. 



Having now briefly described the general structure of the 

 plumage, I shall proceed to the particular details, which may be 

 rendered subservient to the purposes of description and classifi- 

 cation. And, in the ^rst place, it will be necessary to define 

 the situation of the feathers, denominating them according to 

 the parts of the surface oa which they are placed. 



Considered with respect to situation, feathers may be named 

 as follows : 



Capital, on the Head. 



Frontal, on the fore-part of the head. 



Vertical, on the upper-part of the head. 



Occipital, on the hind-part of the head. 



Genal, on the side of the head, under the eye. 



Loral, on the space between the beak and the e^^e. C' 



Marginirostal, round the basilar margin of the beak. 



Upper marginirostral, at the base of the upper mandible. 



Lower marginirostral, at the base of the under mandible. 



Auricular, about the aperture of the ear. 



Palpebral, on the eyelids. 



Ciliary, on the edges of the eyelids. 



Cervical, on the Neck. 

 Posterior cervical, on the back-part of the neck. 

 Anterior cervical, on the fore-part of the neck. 

 Lateral cervical, on the sides of the neck. 



Each of these may be subdivided into upper, middle, and lower. 



ON THE BODY. 



Dorsal, on the Back. 

 Anterior dorsal, on the part of the back nearest the neck. 



