650 PROCEEDINGS OF THE XAT/OXAL MUSEUM. 



wings are conspicuous. The apteria on back and belly are inconspicu- 

 ous, but those over the eyes are evident. There are 18 secondaries 



and 18 rectrices. 



CENTROCERCUS. 



Material examined: One fall-pluina<r»Ml male, two females, and three young birds 

 of C'. urophasianuH, for which I am very deeply indehted to Dr. Mortimer 

 Jesurun, of Douglas^ Wyoming. Seven skins lu the U. S National Museum 

 were also examined regarding the number of rectrices. 



The pterylosis is quite distinctive, though the dorsal and ventral 

 tracts are much like Uendrufjapus. There are no lateral neck spaces, 

 but the whole neck is thickly feathered, and the sternal, cervical, and 

 humeral tracts are all united on the shoulder. On each side of the 

 neck is a large sharply defined apterium of orange colored skin, some- 

 what oval in outline. Between and beneath these the skin is thick 

 and spongy and very densely feathered, especially in the male. There 

 is a rather large apterium over each eye. All of the tracts are very 

 broad and their limits are not easily determined, so that in some speci- 

 mens the dorsal and femoral tracts seem almost united and the dor.sal 

 apterium is very small. The feet are feathered to the toes in front. 

 The secondaries are unusually numerous, 21 in all the specimeus. The 

 rectrices vary considerably in number; of 13 individuals examined one 

 has 16, eight have 18, and four have 20, and this diversity is not 

 connected with age or sex. 



MELEAGRIDID.E. 



Since this family is represented by only a single genus, comments on 

 the latter will apply equally well to the former. 



MELEAGRIS. 

 Material examined: One adult male and two females of M. gallopava. 

 General pterylosis has been well figured by Xitzsch. It resembles 

 that of Bendrafjapiis, but there is no separation of the upper cervical 

 froiu the dorsal tract, and the spinal apterium is long and narrow; the 

 ventral tract is not united at the end of the breastbone, but remains 

 divided almost to the anus: and lastly, the head and upper part of the 

 neck being bare, the two branches of the lower cervical tract are 

 nowhere united into one. Half-down is abundant, obscuring the 

 boundaries of the tracts. The wing is pointed by the sixth and Jiftli 

 primaries, the seventh about as long, the fourth a little shorter and 

 nearly equaled by the eighth and third^ while the ninth and second are 

 somewhat shorter still. There are 18 rectrices and onlj' 18 secondaries, 

 but the alula contains 5 feathers. The feet are feathered only to the 

 tarsal joint. In the male, a special pteryla is formed on the lower part 

 of the throat by a peculiar tuft of long bristles, but there is nothing 

 corres[)Onding to it in the females. My observations accord with those 

 of Nitzsch, except that I found o feathers in the alula instead of 4, and 

 the femoral tracts are proportionately broader tlian in his figure. 



