ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 29 



crests in the living bird.* I do not know what facilities he had 

 for observing the living birds, but I can affirm that on five living 

 birds which I possessed for several days, neither the anteocular nor 

 the subauricular plumes were ever raised, nor did I observe it in any 

 of the many birds I had the good fortune to observe in the free state. 

 That these ornaments may occasionally be raised is not improbable, 

 but it is not the general manner in which they are carried. 



But the most curious blunder of Dr. Dj'bowsid in connection with 

 this species is the assertion that all the plumes forming the curious 

 curved black crest on the forehead originate from a single common 

 shaft: "Alle 12Federchen haben eine gemeinsame Federspulc"! Any 

 one familiar with the structure of birds' feathers will at once suspect 

 this wonderful discovery, and consequently I investigated the case 

 very thoroughly; in fact, I dissected the crest out of jS'o. 2334 (U. S. 

 Nat. Mus. No. 102224), which was obtained at Copi)er Island on July 

 21, 1S83, and the preparation is now in the United States National 

 Museum. This shows, as might be expected, quite a different state of 

 affairs, each plume having, as a matter of course, its own separate 

 shafts, springing from individual follicles, and being in no way connected 

 with its neighbor, as the roots are inserted about 0.3""" apart from 

 each other. The specimen in question possesses seven illumes, which 

 are arranged thus: First come three plumes alongside each other; 

 just behind the intervals between them are two feathers, forniing the 

 second row; next come two featliers, a third one having dropped out, 

 if I am not mistaken; in front of the first row are two empty follicles, 

 the plumes of which must have dropped out only recently ; ten plumes 

 can thus be traced, and are situated in the following order: 2-3-2-3, 

 thus : 



They are consequently arranged in "quincunx," or, in other words, 

 in the same manner as all the other feathers. The "plumes" are only 

 extremely lengthened, but otherwise they are normal contour-feathers ! 



* "Alle diese cirei Federzuge stelien beim lebenden Vogel scliopfartig votu Korper 

 ab." (1. c). 



