426 C. J. Suiulcvall on the Wings of Birds. 



the infrahumerales and scapulares. It seems to me that this 

 term may and must justly be dropped. 



3. Plumce infrahumerales (the inferior feathers of the 

 humerus) on the underside, opposite to the preceding. — Some 

 of them, situated on the anterior surface of the humerus 

 (fig. 5, u, fig. 4, n), are very strongly developed in the Water- 

 birds and Waders, most frequently very long, slender, 

 straight, and somewhat obtuse. The middlemost are always 

 longest. There are from 7 to 9 of them. It is quite the 

 same in the Gallime and diurnal Birds of Prey, but the 

 number is only 7 or 6. In the Owls they are small and less 

 distinct. Columba has 5 flat and tolerably large ones. In 

 Coracias they are very large ; in Cuculus distinct, but not 

 large. Most of the Psittaci have them very small and indi- 

 stinct, but Psittacus amazonicus has 2 very long ones. 



In Picus and in all the Oscines this series of feathers, 

 which in all those previously mentioned are large, is wanting, 

 and in them there is merely a row of small feathers upon the 

 posterior side of the arm (fig. 9, ii), and these also occur in 

 the preceding below the humerus. 



These series of feathers seem to form continuations of the 

 tectrices infracubitales. Of all birds the Tringarise {Nume- 

 niiis &c.) have them most developed ; in these the series is 

 continued by 3-6 feathers, which seem to be seated upon the 

 hypochondrium itself. 



The name Mjpopterum adopted by Nitzsch is, in my 

 opinion, for reasons already given, to be mentioned here only 

 as a superfluous synonym. 



4. In immediate sequence to the two kinds of feathers 

 last discussed, another sort must be mentioned in a few 

 words, as, although they do not belong to the wing, they 

 stand in close connexion with it, namely : — 



The pluma scapulares (shoulder-feathers, figs. 2, 3, 6, 7, A), 

 which form a usually multiple series upon the body across 

 the upper extremity of the humerus, therefore immediately 

 above the scapula and parallel to it. They constitute 

 Nitzsch^s pteryla scapularis (figs. 2, 6, h). No doubt the 

 name parapteron was originally formed for these feathers ; 



