A PECULIAR TYPE OF FEATHER. 43 



when he wrote the article, or whether it was merely an 

 instance of his exceedingly careful and cautions work, 

 I cannot say. In the Bulletin of the B.O.C. (XXVII., 

 p. 82, 1911), where attention was first drawn to this 

 character, I mentioned that I had not been able to find it 

 on any other species of Rail, but a further careful search 

 shows that it is to be found on most, if not all, our native 

 Rails, and Mr. Seth-Smith tells me that it is to be seen 



\ ^^ 



ON THE LEFT, A FEATHER FROM THE HEAD OF A WATER- RAIL ; 



ON THE RIGHT, AN INNER SECONDARY FROM A WAXWING TO 



SHOW SIMILARITY IN STRUCTURE. 



{From a Microphotograph by Staff-Sergeant A. Gibbons, R.A.M.C. ) 



on the Clapper Rail of America and the Weka Rail of 

 Australia, so it is probably common to all the Rallidse. 

 It is, however, entirely absent on both the Coot f and 

 the Moor-hen. 



In the Water-Rail it is common to all ages and both 



