INTR OD UC TION. 



Graduated Tails not only exhibit a greater degree of circu- 

 larity than those which are simply rounded, but they possess this 

 peculiarity, that the external feathers, instead of being very 

 slightly shorter than those in the middle, are abruptly abbre- 

 viated, so as to resemble the steps in a flight of stairs. 



A Cuneated or Wedge-shaped Tail has each feather gra- 

 dually narrowed from the middle, and terminating in a point. 



Arcuated or Arched Tails somewhat resemble the last ; 

 but the feathers, instead of being straight, are gently arched ; 

 and those in the middle are so convex, that they lap over, as if 

 to protect the others. The common Pheasant exhibits this form 

 in perfection. 



Spatulate or Racket-shaped Tails.— The peculiarity of 

 this tail is that the middle feathers have their shafts, for a certain 

 space towards their ends, entirely destitute of webs on cither 

 side ; the webs suddenly appearing again only at the top, giving 

 the feather the appearance of a spoon or battledore. 



Slender Tails are generally of moderate length, the feathers 

 being slender throughout, and sometimes so abruptly truncated 

 that their extremities appear to be cut off. 



In Forked Tails the two outer feathers arc by far the 

 longest ; the inner ones gradually shortening until the gradation 

 terminates in the central pair. 



In Lyre-shaped Tails the gradation in the length of the 

 feathers is precisely similar to that in a simply forked tail, but 

 they are curved outwards, so as to resemble in some sort the 

 frame of an ancient lyre. 



Boat-shaped Tails are still more extraordinary: their sides, 

 when expanded, are bent up like the sides of a boat, so as to leave 

 the central part hollow and very concave. This appearance is 

 generally lost in preserved specimens. 



Compressed or Erect Tails are w^ell exemplified in that of 

 the Barn-door Cock. 



Lastly, Fasciculated or Plumed Tails are those in which 

 the feathers seem to have no regular or determinate arrangement, 

 but form bunches of plumes, like that of the Ostrich. 



The hinder limb or LEG of a bird is composed of, — i, the tibia, 

 generally but erroneously called the thigh ; 2, the iarsiis or shank, 

 usually denominated the leg ; and 3, the toes or digits. Of these 

 last, one, which when present is usually turned backward or in 

 opposition to the rest, is distinguished as the hallux. The toes 

 are all of them terminated by clazvs, variable in their size and 



