C. J. Suiidevall on the Wings of Birds. 425 



many forms of birds, possibly in all except the Song-birds, 

 Pici, and Owls. It is very long, strong, and hooked in 

 Struthio ; long, straight, and pointed in Ciconia and Sterna 

 cylindrical, blunt, and but little curved in Cypselus ; similar, 

 but small, in Falco palumbarius ; very small, flat, nearly of 

 the form of the human nails, in Columba, the Gallinaj, Anates, 

 &c. In Struthio {S. camelus and casuarius) there is also a 

 claw at the apex of the large finger of the wing. 



2. Pennce humerales (quill-feathers of the humerus, figs. 

 2, 3, 6, & 7, /).— We may so name, although not quite 

 properly, from three to six small, nearly always concealed 

 feathers which spring from the upper surface of the humerus 

 close to its apex. They are distinguished, when they are 

 developed, by some resemblance in form to the remiges 

 cubit ales, and have most frequently a different colour from 

 the dorsal and covert-feathers ; but if we trace out the series 

 which they form, they are found to constitute a continuation 

 of the tectrices minores cubitales. The middle one or more 

 are always the largest. 



In the Song-birds they are very small, soft, and downy at 

 the margins, and therefore difl&cult to distinguish. How- 

 ever, they may be distinctly recognized in Fringil/a and 

 Pyrrhula, 



Picus has 3, very small but distinct; Psittacus has 4, 

 and Coracias 5, well developed ; but in Columba and Cyp- 

 selus they can hardly be distinguished. In the Accipitres 

 there are always three or four distinct ones, but very small, 

 and differing considerably in form. So also in the Gallinse. 



In Scolopax, Numenius, Totanus, and many of the smaller 

 Waders, I have counted 5 very distinctly : so also in Fuli- 

 gula ; 6 in Cygnus, Lestris, and Colymbus, and 8 in Podiceps 

 rubricollis. Larus has two pretty long ones and some very 

 small. 



This series of feathers is followed, in front, by one or 

 more series which can only be called tecti'ices humerales. 

 They have quite the aspect of covert- or dorsal feathers. 



Nitzsch names these feathers the parapterum, which name 

 is, however, employed by llliger in common for these and 



