418 C. J. Suiulevall on the Wings of Birds. 



the trouble it causes, but I have omitted it; it cau be un- 

 dertaken only with freshly killed birds. 



On the hand "these feathers are continued in two or three 

 series, which in no respect differ in structure from the second 

 series of coverts, and exactly cover the small portion of the 

 hand which is not clothed by the large coverts. They are 

 usually concealed by the quill-feathers of the thumb, and 

 always lie right, i. e. not reversed as on the cubitus. 



4. The Tectrices minima s. antecubitales (smallest or fore- 

 most covert-feathers, figs. 3 and 7, e) are seated in several 

 series upon the fold of skin in front of the cubitus. They 

 are right-lying, not reversed like those on the cubitus itself. 

 But we often find one of these series reversed, in agreement 

 with the preceding ones, e. g. in the Gallinse, in the diurnal 

 and nocturnal Birds of Prey, and many others. The series 

 of feathers which are counted parallel with the preceding 

 run obliquely towards the anterior margin of the fold of skin 

 (see figs. 2, 3, 6, and 7) ; but in some Waders, in Lams, and 

 especially in the lower Water-birds (Pygopodes, Procella- 

 rinae), the fold of skin is very narrow in front of the cubitus, 

 and covered only by 2 (-3) complete rows of small feathers. 

 In certain Psittaci and some few other birds, the feathers 

 which are placed nearest to the margin have peculiar lumi- 

 nous colours. This margin was called the campterimn by 

 Illiger. I am inclined to think that we should do better by 

 calling it simply the margo aloi cubitalis, carpi, %lq,., accord- 

 ing to circumstances. 



C. Lower Wing-feathers. 

 ] . Tectrices averse s. inferior es prima (reversed feathers, 

 figs. 4 and 8, o, jo) . These are situated closest to the roots 

 of the remigcs, behind the muscular layer of the wing. They 

 have undoubtedly the most singular position of all the feathers 

 on the bird's body, for although they belong to the underside 

 oE the wing, their position is the same as that of the remiges, 

 so that when the wing is considered from the underside 

 they show their reversed side (with a raised, grooved shaft, 

 &c. Vide anteu, p. 397, 2). The right side is turned in- 



