As an aid to identification, the wing characters are most important. 
INTRODUCTION, 3 | 
THE WING. 
The terms 
primaries, secondaries, axillars, wing coverts, etc., are constantly used in 
deseribing birds, and the student should learn to recognize them at a glance. 
The 
The 
Remiges are the flight 
feathers of the wing, 
and the Tectrices are 
the small feathers coy- 
ering the upper part of 
the wing or shoulder 
(see illustration), and 
are usually called coy- 
erts. The 
are divided into” pri- 
maries, secondaries, 
and tertials, accord- 
Remiges 
ing to the location in 
the wing. 
Primaries are the 
feathers growing from 
the outer section of the 
wing: 
teak) 
number ranging from 9 to 10 (and rarely 11) in various families. 
D 
Carpus 
that is to say, from the outer bend of the wing (carpus) to tip, C to D, the 
At first, it is 
not always easy to distinguish the last 
primary from the first secondary ; but 
experience is the best teacher, and the 
point can always be settled by exam- 
ining the roots of the feathers. 
The Secondaries are the remiges at- 
tached to the ulna or forearm, B to C 
(see illustration) ; they number from 
6 to 40 in the various families; the 
Humming-bird having the smallest 
number, and the Albatross more 
than 40. 
The Tertials are the few remaining remiges which grow from the humerus, A to B. 
The Tectrices, or Wing Coverts, are small feathers covering the larger wing 
feathers; the feathers lining the edge of the under surface of the wing are called 
under wing coverts. 
The outer wing coverts are divided and described as 
greater wing coverts, middle wing coverts, and lesser wing coverts, 
respectively. 
(See illustration. ) 
