BIRDS OF THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 39 



MEASUREMENT OF SPECIMENS. 



Writers often differ in their style of measuring a specimen, 

 and for that reason I include below the usual rules for measure- 

 ment, which are followed in the present work. 



Length. — Distance, hi a straight line, from the end of the bill to 

 the tip of the longest tail-feather. Sometimes one or two 

 feathers are much longer than the others, as in the Tropic 

 bird. 



\Vij.;g. — Distance, in a straight line, from the carpus (bend of the 

 wing) to the tip of the longest primary. 



Tail. — Distance from the body to the end of the longest feather. 



Bill. — Distance, in a straight line (not taking the curve of the 

 bill), from the tip to where it joins skin or feathers on the 

 forehead. (Exception, birds having frontal plate.) 



Tarsus. — Distance, in fj-ont, from the knee-joint to the root of 

 the middle toe. 



All measurements are given in inches, unless otherwise stated. 



