iSSS.] Xo/cs a//d Xezirs. 127 



feathers was a provision for keeping tlie wing expanded in flight without 

 miiscuhir exertion on the part of the bird. Professor Newberrv spoke in 

 approval of tlie brilliant discovery and of its obvious importance, and, 

 there being no ornithologists present, the discovery passed unchallenged, 

 not only at the meeting, but into print, in the columns of -Science" and 

 elsewhere. 



Some weeks later, a paper was announced on new discoveries in the 

 mechanism of flight in birds, by Professors Newberrv and Trowbridge, as 

 a. part of the evening's entertainment at the meeting of the New York 

 Academy of Sciences for December 12. The title naturally attracted the 

 attention of a number of ornithologists, who made it a point to attend 

 the meeting. The communications covered, in a general wa\-. the whole 

 subject of the flight of birds, but the special point was. of course, the 

 new discovery of the voluntary -'interlocking of the primaries" so as to 

 automatically prevent the closing of the wing during protracted flight. As 

 soon as an opportunity was afforded, the ornithologists present quicklv 

 pointed out the utter absurdity and impossibility of the new 'discovery.' 

 the speakers in opposition being Messrs. D. G. Elliot, J- A. Allen, and 

 George B. Sennett. The arguments these gentlemen advanced tailed to 

 convince at least the principal advocate of the new theory, who declared, 

 with some warmth, that he '-was not a fool." and accepted the challenge 

 to demonstrate by dissections all that he had claimed, including the 

 ability ofthe bird to rot;ite and interlock the primaries. Accordingly the 

 announcement card for the meeting of December 19 contained the fol- 

 lowing: "Prof. W. P. Trowbridge will exhibit wings, showing the ten- 

 dons, as claimed, for the flexion, extension, and rotation of the primaries." 

 The New York ornithologists were accordingly on hand, some of them 

 provided, as well as Professor Trowbridge, with fresh preparations of 

 birds' wings, to witness the promised -demonstration.' Professor Trow- 

 bridge's exposition ofthe well-known muscles of flight and their functions 

 was entirely successful, but his claim of showing also muscles capable of 

 rotating the primaries so as to reverse their usual mode of imbrication was 

 challenged by the ornithologists present, and finally this part of the 

 'demonstration' was abandoned, and the question at issue reduced to the 

 discovery of a new muscle in the manus, having the function to open 

 and close the primaries — "a muscle imknown" to ornithologists or anat- 

 omists, and hitherto undescribed. The muscle in question being the 

 well-known ;«. /«/(?/-y,s- <>//.< /rt/w<-?/-«/«. comment on the new point would 

 be superfluous. He still claimed, however, in his closing rejoinder, that 

 birds had the power of interlocking the primaries, as he originally 

 maintained. This, with the peculiar summing of the controver.sy at the 

 close of the meeting by the President (Professor Newberry) 'from the 

 chair' renders it highly probable that the ornithologists will re-open the 

 subject at the next meeting of the Academy. The participants in the 

 discussion at the second meeting, in addition to the two gentlemen al- 

 ready named, were Messr.s. Allen, Elliot, Sennett, Dr. Holder, and Mr. 

 E. E. Thompson, of Toronto, Canada. 



