388 VERTEBRATE ANIMALS OF THE UNITED STATES 



Pedicle. A stalk. 



Pelagic. Living in the surface waters of the sea or a lake. 



Pelvis. The bony girdle by which the skeleton of the hind legs is joined with the vertebral 



column; the pelvic girdle. 

 Pencil. A tuft of hair or feathers. 

 Penicillate. Tipped with a tuft of hairs. 

 Pentadactylous. Five-fingered or five-toed; pentadactyle. 

 Perforate. Pierced. 



Peritoneum. The lining of the abdominal cavit)^ 

 Phalanges. The bones of the finger and toes. 



Pharyngeal bones. Bones behind the gill arches in fishes which usually bear teeth. 

 Pharynx. The anterior portion of the digestive tract, that just back of the mouth. 

 Phylum. One of the main subdivisions of the Animal Kingdom; a Sub-kingdom. 

 Pigment. Coloring matter. 



Pineal eye. A rudimentary median eye on the top of the head of certain lizards. 

 Placenta. The organ by which the fetus of the higher mammals is nourished. 

 Placoid scales. The scales of sharks and skates. 

 Plantar. Referring to the under surface of the foot or hand. 

 Plantigrade. Walking on the sole of the foot. 

 Plastron. The lower portion of the turtle's shell. 



Pleurodont teeth. Teeth which are situated along the inner margin of the jaw bone. 

 Plicate. Folded; wrinkled. 

 Plumbeous. Lead-colored. 



Pneumatic duct. A duct joining the air bladder with the pharynx in fish. 

 Postanal. Back of the anus. 

 Posterior. Toward the hinder end of the animal. 

 Postnatal. Occurring after birth. 



Postorbital plate. The plate behind the eye in snakes and lizards. 

 Postorbital processes. The bony processes which form the hinder part of the orbit. 

 Precoracoid. The anterior, ventral portion of the shoulder girdle in amphibians. 

 Prefrontal plate. The plate on the head of snakes and lizards in front of the frontal. 

 Prehensile. Adapted for grasping and holding. 

 Prehension, Organs of. Organs fitted for seizing. 

 Premaxillaries. The bones which support the front portion of the upper jaw; in fishes they 



extend also along the side. 

 Premolar teeth. The teeth in the mammalian jaw between the canines and the molars. 

 Preocular plate. The plate on the head of snakes and lizards just in front of the eye. 

 Preopercle. The membrane bone forming the anterior portion of the opercle in fishes. 

 Presacral vertebrae. Those anterior to the sacrum. 



Proboscis. An elongation of the snout or lips for purposes of prehension. 

 Proccelous vertebrae. Those which are concave in front and convex behind. 

 Protractile. Capable of being thrust forward. 

 Proximal. Toward the point of attachment; opposed to distal. 

 Pseudobranchiae. Small gills on the inner surface of the opercle. 

 Pterygoid bones. Bones in the roof of the mouth. 



Pubic bones. Plate-like bones on the belly of sticklebacks just in front of the anus. 

 P*ubis. The ventral, anterior portion of the pelvis. 

 Pulmonary. Pertaining to the lungs. 

 Punctate. Dotted with minute points. 

 Punctulations. Dots. 



P*ustulate. Having minute pimple-like elevations. 

 Pyloric caeca or appendages. Elongated, blind sacs opening into the intestine at the 



point where it joins the stomach in fishes. 



