14 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. IX. 



Carpets The Rem- 



iges are the 

 flight feathers 

 of the wing, 

 and the Tec- 

 trices are the 

 small feathers 

 covering the 

 upper part of 

 the wing or 

 shoulder (see 

 illustration), 

 and are usually 

 called coverts. 

 The r emiges 

 are divided 

 into primaries, 

 secondaries, and tertials, according 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 lo (and rarely 11 ) in 

 various families. At first, it is not always easy to distinguish the 

 last primary from the first 

 secondary; but experience is A 

 the best teacher, and the point 

 can always be settled by exam- 

 ining the roots of the feathers. 

 The Secondaries are the 

 remiges attached to the uhia 

 or forearm, B to C (see illus- 

 tration ) ; they number from 

 6 to 40 in the various families, 

 the Humming-bird having the 

 smallest number, and the Al- 

 batross 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 wing 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.) 



