676 



GLOSSARY. 



NEBULATED, a. Clouded, or indistinctly 

 marked with faiut, indefinite and ir- 

 regular colors. 



NK MORAL, a. Pertaining to a wood or 

 grove. 



NEOG.EAN, a. Pertaining to the western 

 hemisphere, or new world. 



XEOSSOLOGY, n. The study of youiig 

 birds. 



NEOTROPICAL, n. Pertaining to the 

 tropical portions of America, or the 

 new world. 



NIDIFICATION, n. Nest building or nest- 

 ing habits. 



NOMENCLATURE, n. The names of 

 things, according to a recognized prin- 

 ciple of naming, or those peculiar to 

 any department of science. Various 

 systems of nomenclature have been 

 employed in the naming of animals 

 and plants. Previous to the institu- 

 tion of the binomial system of Lin- 

 naeus (first promulgated in zoology in 

 1758), the polynomial system, or the 

 use of several terms as the name of a 

 species, was much in vogue. That 

 now employed is the binomial system 

 of Linnaeus, in which usually only 

 two terms are used, the one generic, 

 the other specific, but occasionally 

 modified, according to requirements of 

 modern science, by use of a third term 

 after the specific one, for the designa- 

 tion of nascent species or subspecies. 



NOT.EUM, n. The Latin equivalent for 

 "upper parts." 



NUCHA, 7i. The nape or upper part of 

 the cervix. ( Often, but incorrectly, 

 used for the whole cervix.) 



NUCHAL, a. Pertaining to the nape. 



NUPTIAL ORNAMENTS, n. As distin- 

 guished from nuptial plumes, any 

 temporary growth from the nnfeath- 

 ered portion of a bird, characteristic 

 of or peculiar to the breeding season. 

 The compressed maxillary process of 

 the American White Pelican, and the 

 accessory or supernumerary portions 

 of the bill in many Alcidce, are among 

 the best-known examples. 



NUPTIAL PLUMAGE, n. A particular 

 plumage, particular to the breeding 

 season, characteristic of some birds. 



NUPTIAL PLUMES, n. Ornamental 

 feathers, acquired at the approach of 

 the breeding season and cast at the 

 close of that period, as the lengthened 

 plumes of many Herons, the crest and 

 filamentous feathers of some Cormo- 

 rants, etc. 



o. 



OAKED. a. An oared foot has the hind 

 toe, or hallux, united on one side with 

 the anterior toes by a web or connect- 

 ing membrane. Hence the name 

 Steganopodes, applied to the group 

 including the Pelicans, Cormorants, 

 etc., in which the feet are of this char- 

 acter. 



OBCORDATE, a. Shaped like an inverted 

 heart. 



OCCIPITAL, a. Pertaining to the hind 

 head, or occiput. 



OCCIPUT, n. The back part of the head, 

 bounded below by the nape, anteri- 

 orly by the vertex. 



OCKLLATE, a. Marked with ocelli, or eye 

 spots. 



OCELLUS, n. A distinct, rounded, usu- 

 ally bright-colored spot, more or less 

 resembling the eyes, or ocelli, of a Pea- 

 cock's train. 



OCREATE, a. Booted, or having the an- 

 terior covering of the tarsus undi- 

 vided for the greater part of its length. 



OLIGOTOKOUS* a. Producing few eggs. 



OMEGOID, a. Resembling in form the 

 Greek capital letter omega. 



OOLOGICAL, a. Pertaining to oology. 



OOLOGY, n. The science of birds' eggs. 



OPERCULUM, n. A lid or cover, such as 

 the scale overhanging the nostrils 

 (operculum narsi) of many birds. 



OPHTHALMIC, . Pertaining to the eye. 



ORAL, a. Pertaining to the mouth. 



ORBICULAR, a. Circular. 



ORBIT, n. The region immediately 

 around the eye. 



ORBITAL RING, n. A ring or circle of 

 color immediately surrounding the 

 eye. 



ORDER, n. In natural history, a group 

 of families possessing in common pe- 

 culiar characteristics. 



ORDINAL, a. Pertaining to an order. 



ORNITHIC, a. Pertaining to birds. 



ORNITHOTOMY, . The anatomy of 

 birds. 



OSCININE, a. Pertaining to the Oscines; 

 musical, or capable of singing. 



OSCINES, n. The name of a natural 

 group of singing, passerine birds, 

 comprising the singing birds par 

 excellence, characterized by a highly- 

 specialized vocal apparatus. ( Same as 

 Polymyodce. ) 



OSSEOUS, a. Bony. 



OSSIFIED, a. Become bony. 



