FISH OF ONTARIO. 117 



Prefrontal (plates). Those in front of post-frontal. • 



Premaxillaries. The bones, one on either side, forming- the front of the 



upper jaw in fishes. They are usually larger than the maxillaries 



and commonly bear most of the upper teeth. 

 Premolars. The small grinders; the teeth between the canines and the 



true molars. 

 Preocular. Before the eye. 

 Preopercle. The membrane bone lying in front of the opercle and more 



or less nearly parallel with it. 

 Preorbital. The large membrane bone before the eye in fishes. 

 Primary. Any one of the large stiff quills growing upon the pinion or 



hand bones of a bird (usually nine or ten, sometimes eleven in 



number) ; as distinguished from the secondaries, w^hich grow 



upon the forearm. 

 Primary wing coverts. The coverts overlying the base of the primaries. 

 Procoelian. Concave in front only. 



Procurrent (fin). With the lower rays inserted progressively farther for- 

 ward. 

 Projectile. Capable of being thrust forward. 



Prootic. A bone forming an anterolateral ossification of the brain-case. 

 Protractile. Capable of being drawn forward. 

 Proximal. Nearest. 

 Pseudobranchiffi. Small gills developed on the inner side of the opercle, 



near its junction with the preopercle. 

 Pterotic. A bone at the posterior lateral process of the skull. 

 Pterygoids. Bones of roof of mouth in fishes, behind the palatines. 

 Pubic bones. Same as pelvic bones. 

 Pubis. Anterior lower part of pelvis. 

 Pulmonary. Pertaining to the lungs. 

 Punctate. Dotted with points. 

 Pyloric caeca. Glandular appendages in the form of blind sacs opening 



into the alimentary canal of most fishes at the pylorus or passage 



from the stomach to the intestine. 



Q. 



Quadrate. Nearly square ; a bone of the lower jaw in lower vertebrates. 

 Quill. One of the stiff feathers of the wing or tail of a bird. 

 Quincunx. Set of five arranged alternately, thus :•: 



R. 



Radius. Outer bone of forearm. 



Ray. One of the cartilaginous rods which suj^port the membrane of the 

 fin of a fish. 



