of the Lesser Bird-of -Paradise. 443 



with that of the underlying pectoral muscle, at least as far 

 as the axilla, where the free edge of the tract passes forwards 

 and inwards to the shoulder-joint. 



The feathers which make up this portion of the tract are 

 those which form the superb plumes used in the display 

 described by Mr. Grant. They are densely packed at their 

 roots, and arranged, as may be seen in the figure, in more 

 or less perfectly obliquely transverse rows, sloping from 

 above backwards and downwards. By the contraction of 

 the muscles described later, the whole of this tract is drawn 

 upwards and forwards (headwards) so as to approach as 

 nearly as possible to the back. 



The inner branch of the pt. ventralis is moderately broad 

 and continued backwards to the cloaca. 



Pt. femoralis (text-fig. 28, pt.fem.). — This is primitive in 

 character, being made up of delicate semiplumes — which 

 are really degenerate contour feathers, — extending forwards 

 to the outer branch of the pt. ventralis, upwards to the 

 pt. spinalis, and downwards to the pt. cruralis. Running 

 across the middle of the thigh is a narrow tract of relatively 

 large feathers, and this, at first, appears to be all that remains 

 of the femoral tract. 



Pt. cruralis (text-fig. 28 ; pt.cr.). — The feathers of this tract 

 are scattered thinly over the whole shank and are of a loose 

 texture. 



Pt. humeralis (text-fig. 27, pt.h.). — This is a long and 

 unusually narrow tract, extending from the shoulder to the 

 lower I of the humerus. 



Pt. alaris (text-fig. 27, pt.al.). — The wing is cutaxic. 

 There are 10 primaries (the 10th remex being very long) 

 and 11 secondaries (the 11th feather is, however, vestigial 

 and hardly to be distinguished from its covert). Both carpal 

 covert and remex are present. 



Tectrices. — Only the coverts of the upper surface demand 

 notice here ; those of the ventral surface are reduced to the 

 condition of semiplumes, save the /. majores and /. minores. 



T. majores. — The free edges of the secondary coverts of 

 this series are not continuous with those of the primaries. 



