Introduction. 



use of a few such terms. These are, 

 however, so often employed by Messrs. 

 Hume and Marshall and other writers 

 on birds that few sportsmen can plead 

 ignorance of their meaning ; but to avoid 

 any possible misunderstanding on this 

 point it will, perhaps, be desirable to 

 explain them briefly. The " primaries " 

 are the first ten or eleven quills of the 

 wing, counting from the tip inwards. 

 Many birds have ten primaries, but the 

 Ducks have eleven. The first, however, 

 is so minute and so difficult to discover 

 that it may be ignored ; and for all prac- 

 tical purposes Ducks may be considered 

 to have ten primaries only, all of full size. 

 The " secondaries " are the remaining 

 quills of the wing. About half of these 

 are usually short and of much the same 

 length, and are termed the outer second- 

 aries. The remaining secondaries are 

 usually long and pointed, and are termed 

 the inner secondaries. 



The "speculum," a term used in 

 connection with Ducks, is the colour 

 exhibited by the outer secondaries. It 

 is often very brilliant and metallic ; some- 

 times dull or of a brownish colour ; at 

 times pure white or grey. 



The "scapulars" are the feathers 



