290 Mr. F. E. Beddard on the 



this may account for the ab.^ence of traces of body-feathering 

 in Archaeopteryx ; tlie feathering may, in fact, have been very 

 like that of existing Struthious birds ; the increase in the 

 power of flight led, on Nitzsch's hypothesis, to the formation 

 of apteria. It seems to rae possible that the same freedom 

 of movement of the wings may also have been obtained by a 

 scattered condition of the contour-feathers, while the view of 

 Nitzsch that '' the interrupted feathei'-clothing must be de- 

 duced, as a necessity, from the great size of the contour- 

 feathers,^^ is also quite in harmony with this supposition. 



The contour-feathers of Opisthocomus are furnished with 

 an afiershaft. 



The remiges are developed as down-feathers in the youngest 

 chicks, and their number corresponds with that of the adult 

 bird [i. e., 19) ; the tectrices dorsales were also visible in the 

 early stages, when no other feathers, on the wing, except the 

 remiges, were present. There was no evidence in later stages 

 of these embryonic remiges being replaced by a subsequently 

 developed series of remiges. These facts confirm, so far, 

 the conclusions of Landois* and Daviesf, that the down- 

 feathers do not form a separate embryonic feathering (having 

 a relation to the permanent feathering analogous to that of 

 milk-teeth to permanent dentition), but are merely the free 

 extremities of the contour-feathers. I may remark, hoAvever, 

 that these gentlemen have omitted to call attention to the 

 fact that Mr. A. D. Bartlett some 27 years ago showed reasons 

 for making a similar statement J. He said (P. Z. S. 1861, 

 p. 370) : — " There is a beautiful example of the progressive 

 growth from the first down to the perfect feathers to be seen 

 on the young of this bird \Grus montignesia] . I have in many 

 birds observed this, but not to so great an extent. It appears 

 that the first down is not thrown off, but continues to grow 

 longer, until the perfect feather is developed, having the 



* " Das Duneunestkleid der Vogel bestelit nicht aus Duuen,"' Zool. 

 Anz. Bd. xi. p. 703. 



t "Beitrag zur Eutwickl. der Feder," Morpli. Jabrb. Bd. iv. p. 369. 



X "Notes on tbe Breeding and Rearing of tlie Cbinese Crane (Gnis 

 montignesia) in the Society's Gardens," P. Z. S. ]861, p. 360. 



