124 PTERYLOGRAPHY. 



notice any space behind the ear, extends only to the beginning of the neck, and at this point 

 emits two tract-bands. The superior, or cervical band, becomes stronger as it descends, and 

 divides between the shoulder-blades into two very strong arms, seven or eight feathers in breadth, 

 which become gradually narrower, and terminate in a single feather. From these the hinder part 

 of the dorsal tract originates with two convergent rows of single contour-feathers, which lose 

 themselves at the commencement of the pelvis in a weak but broad and sparsely feathered rump- 

 band. The latter terminates at the tail in front of the naked oil-gland, which is furnished with a 

 circlet of feathers at the tip. The inferior tract divides before the middle of the neck, and 

 consists of two narrow weak bands, which become tolerably strong when passing on the breast, 

 and here form a strong, incurved, outer branch of four or five feathers broad, with which the 

 very weak main band running down close to the crest of the sternum is at first united only by a 

 single row of feathers. Towards the middle of the breast, at the point where in Dicholophus the 

 main stem first commences, this, in Psophia, becomes biserial, and continues so as far as the 

 anus, in front of which it terminates, curving outwards in an arched form upon the belly. The 

 other tracts are not peculiar ; the lumbar tract is present, but narrow, and completely separated 

 from the rump-band. The wing has on its upper surface a homogeneous plumage, which 

 advances pretty close upon the axillary tract ; beneath, it is occupied by the great wing-space, in 

 which the hypopterum is not deficient (Plate VIII, fig. 3). Of remiges I counted twenty-four, of which 

 ten on the hand, the third or fourth being the longest ; on the thumb there are four feathers, and 

 the tail contains twelve. I have yet to remark that the peculiar texture of the neck-plumage is 

 caused by an upward curvature of the shaft, with which is combined a very soft and almost 

 downy structure of the barbs and barbules. True down-feathers are very sparingly distributed 

 over the spaces, but are also present, at least among the contour-feathers of the outer branch. 



4. Grus. According to my examination of G. cinerea, the pterylosis agrees perfectly in its 

 general arrangement with that of Psophia, differing only in the following characters. The con- 

 tour-feathers have a weaker after-shaft, most nearly resembling that in Palamedea chavaria ; 

 in the down-feathers, on the contrary, both shafts are of equal size. The homogeneous head- 

 plumage, which, however, is interrupted on the occiput by the well-known nearly naked spot, 

 extends as far as the middle of the long neck. On the above-mentioned occipital spot there are 

 setiform feathers, on the capillary shaft of which I can, however, detect a few barbs, and even a 

 small downy accessory plume. The anterior part of the dorsal tract is cleft further, and the 

 space occurring between the branches of the fork reach up the point where the ptilosis con- 

 tinua of the neck ceases. The hinder part of the dorsal tract, which is formed exactly as in 

 Psophia, is connected by its dilatation with the extremities of the strong lumbar tracts. The 

 inferior tract is rather broad anteriorly, at the point where it passes on to the breast, and its 

 main stem continues longer united with the outer branch. The main stem itself is of equal 

 breadth and strength from beginning to end ; but the outer branch is connected at its extremity 

 with the hypopterum, which, therefore, is not deficient. The oil-gland has not only a circlet 

 consisting of about twenty umbellate plumes on the mamilla, but also some large down-feathers 

 on its surface ; each half encloses three cavities, and has the same number of orifices. In the wing 

 I counted thirty-three remiges, of which the first is equal to the fourth, and the second and third 

 are the longest ; they are all broader at the base, and emarginated, especially on the inner vane, 

 for the apical two thirds of their length. The tail contains twelve feathers. 



