THE PELARGI. 131 



the middle of the neck. From this point the plumage is divided above by the spinal space, and 

 beneath by the inferior space ; the lateral neck-space is only visible at the base in front of the 

 shoulder, in the form of a short lobe. The dorsal tract passes between the shoulder-blades in two 

 narrow parallel stems, and terminates a little before them with tolerably strong plumage. The 

 hinder part does not reach the extremities of the anterior portion ; it is very weak throughout, 

 especially externally, and has a longitudinal space reaching to the caudal pit. The inferior tract 

 is united with the axillary tracts in front on the shoulder, but otherwise presents no peculiarities. 

 The other tracts also present nothing remarkable. On the other hand, it struck me as singular 

 that in C. leucocephala I could find no after-shaft on the contour-feathers ; this is not 

 deficient in the indigenous species, although it is small and weak. An organ of remarkable 

 peculiarity in the Storks is, however, the thick short oil-gland, furnished with a strong circlet of 

 feathers, inasmuch as it appears to possess a very variable number of orifices and internal cavities. 

 In C. alba there are two on each side; in C. nigra, five. All the three species above mentioned 

 have eleven primaries, of which those from the first to the fourth or fifth are graduated ; in 

 C. leucocephala I found in all thirty remiges, in C. nigra thirty-two, and in C. alia thirty-four. 

 The number of rectrices is twelve. In C. leucocephala these form a strongly forked tail, beyond 

 which the long lower tail-coverts project far in the middle. By this means the tail acquires a very 

 remarkable three-lobed form. 1 



The Storks with naked necks, such as C. mycteria and C. argala, do not differ much from 

 the preceding in the arrangement of the tracts. The plumage usually commences close to 

 the base of the neck, and is then completely interrupted beneath by the inferior space, and above 

 by the spinal space. The lateral neck-space is wanting. In the dorsal tract the hinder part is 

 remarkable equally for its sparse plumage and for the want of the spinal space. I only saw a 

 trace of this space in the middle in C. argala. The commencement of the hinder part in both 

 species also extends far in between the limbs of the anterior part. The inferior tract presents 

 no peculiarity, but its plumage is more sparse. The lumbar tract consists only of a single row 

 of tolerably strong feathers, and reaches to the knee. The number of remiges is thirty-six, of 

 which eleven are placed on the hand in C. mycteria, and ten in C. argala; in the former 

 the third, in the latter the second, is the longest. Both species have twelve rectrices ; but the 

 former species has six and the latter only five feathers on the thumb. The same number occurs 

 in C. alba and C. nigra, but C. leucocephala only possesses four. These are probably the greatest 

 numbers of feathers which occur on the thumb-joint of any Birds. In the oil-gland of C. argala 

 I found six separate orifices and cavities in each half ; these were so environed by short oil- 

 feathers, that each half has a distinct circlet. In C. argala I did not examine the gland so 

 particularly ; on the other hand, I found no after-shaft on the contour-feathers in this species. The 

 last point worthy of notice is the enormous size and thickness of the quills of the remiges in these 

 Storks ; as far as I know, they are the thickest that occur in any Birds. 



3. Anastomus. The pterylosis of A. coromandelicus agrees precisely with that of Ciconia 

 alba, and I therefore need not describe it further. In the wing I counted twenty-eight remiges, 

 of which eleven were inserted on the pinion ; the third was the longest. The hypopterum was as 

 large as in the Common Stork. In the oil-gland at least three orifices are visible in each half, 

 but I could not detect more in the dry specimen. The tail contains twelve feathers. 



1 This structure of the tail likewise occurs in the South American Ciconia maguari. P. L. S. 



