8 INTR on UCTION. 



extremely short. The terms short and long, however, being very- 

 indefinite, it is usual, when speaking of the comparative length 

 of this part, to call that a short tail which does not exceed half 

 the length of the wings ; a moderate tail is about equal to the 

 length of the body ; and all longer than this are called long tails. 



A Perfect tail consists of twelve feathers ; but in some Galli- 

 naceous birds the number amounts to eighteen ; Avhile in a very 

 few species there are only eight. 



The root or base of the tail-feathers is protected both above 



Fig. 6.— Tail-Feathers. 



Upper surface of the tail of a bird, showing the disposition 

 of the twelve quill-feathers of which it is usually composed. 

 The feathers of the tail are counted from the outer to the 

 inner; consequently the first tail-feather (i) is the most ex- 

 ternal, from which they are named 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 

 to the 6th or middle feathers of the tail (6). The feathers 

 which cover the roots of the tail feathers are the iail- 

 coverts {t t). 



and below by others, which are termed the 2ippcr and under tail- 

 ccverts. 



In speaking of the various forms of the tail, it will be neces- 

 sary in the following pages to make use of terms, such as even, 

 ronnded, fan-shaped, graduated, cuneatcd, arcuated, spatulate, slen- 

 der, forked, &c. : these we will briefly explain. 



An Even Tail implies that the feathers when expanded are 

 all of the same length. 



A Rounded Tail has the outermost feathers progressively 

 shorter than those in the middle. 



A Fan-shaped Tail, as its name indicates, is so much 

 rounded, that the two middle feathers are the longest, all the 

 others gradually diminishing in length. 



