C. J. Simdevall on the Wings of Birds. 401 



ill most of these respects they differ in almost every genus, 

 and often in species of the same genus, especially among the 

 Land-birds. These differences furnish good characters, and 

 belong to the systematic exposition of ornithology ; but we 

 may here notice the following more general conditions. The 

 typical form seems to be that all the ten feathers are of equal 

 length ; but in consequence of the way in which they are 

 attached to the hand, the first feather projects beyond the 

 following ones, and thus seems to be the longest, while the 

 fulloAving ones appear to get gradually shorter. The wing is 

 then quite acute. This form of wing occurs generally among 

 the lower birds, namely in a great many of the Water-birds 

 (all the Pygopodcs and Longipennes ; the Tubiuares, except 

 Thalassidroma, Meryus, Faligula, and some of the Stegano- 

 podes), in more than half the Grallae [Charadrii, Strepsilas, 

 &c., nearly all Tringarise [Scolopacinae] , though in these often 

 1 = 2), but only in a very few others, namely in Pterocles alone 

 among the Gallinae, and in Trochilus. In Cypselus the second 

 feather is a little longer. In no single true Song-bird is the 

 first feather the longest. 



With a higher development of the wing it is instead one of 

 the following feathers (nos. 2-4) that is the longest, while 

 the first is somewhat abbreviated. In those which fly with 

 remarkable rapidity, the second feather is usually the longest 

 (e. g. Hirundo, Ocypterus, Falco, Merops) ; in others the wing 

 is rounded and broad, owing to the third, fourth, or even 

 the fifth or sixth feather being longest; but this last only in 

 short wings. The birds of which the wings are thus rounded 

 and at the same time of considerable length have also very 

 large cubital feathers, and fly remarkably well and steadily 

 (e. g. Vultur, Aijuila, Ciconia). Only a few Water-birds have 

 the second feather the longest [Thalassidroma, Anas, Ber- 

 nicla), and there are not many that possess rounded wings 

 [Anser, Cygnus, Carbo, Pelecanus). Among the Waders the 

 two conditions are already more common ; rounded wings 

 occur in Vanellus, in all llallidae (with Fulica), in all Cico- 

 niinse, Grus, Otis, and Ardea. In the Land-birds it is the 

 most common condition. 



