INTRODUCTION. 



Carpus 



THE WING. 



As an aid to identification, the wing characters are most important. The terms 

 primaries, secondaries, axillars, wing coverts, etc., are constantly used in 

 describing birds, and the student should learn to recognize them at a glance. 

 The Remiges are the flight 



feathers of the wing, 



and the Tectrices are ^ - ^_ 



the small feathers cov- V^^^^^^^^^ 



ering the upper part of ^^^Kf^g^m 



the wing or shoulder 



(see illustration), and 



are usually called cov- 

 erts. The Remiges 



are divided into pri= 



maries, secondaries, 



and tertials, accord- 

 ing to the location in 



the wing. 

 The Primaries are the 



feathers growing from 



the outer section of the 



wing ; that is to say, from the outer bend of the wing (carpus) to tip, C to D, the 



number ranging from 9 to 10 (and rarely 11) in various families. At first, it is 

 (7 ^ not always easy to distinguish the last 



primary from the first secondary ; but 

 experience is the best teacher, and the 



/ \\ ) * ///-./ \\\\ ^ point can always be settled by exam- 



ining the roots of the feathers. 

 The Secondaries are the remiges at- 

 tached to the ulna or forearm, B to C 

 (see illustration) ; they number from 

 6 to 40 in the various families ; the 

 Humming-bird having the smallest 

 number, and the Albatross more 

 than 40. 



The Tertials are the few remaining remiges which grow from the humerus, A to B. 

 The Tectrices, or Wing Coverts, are small feathers covering the larger wing 



feathers ; the feathers lining the edge of the under surface of the wiug are called 



under wing coverts. The outer wing coverts are divided and described, as 



greater wing coverts, middle wing coverts, and lesser wing coverts, 



respectively. (See illustration.) 



