468 DR. J. MURIE ON THE DERMAL AND VISCERAL STRUCTURES 
I. DERMAL STRUCTURES. 
1. The Plumage. 
(a) Feathering in general.—The very original and valuable treatise on ‘“ Pterylo- 
graphie,” by Christian Ludwig Nitzsch, an English edition of which has lately been 
issued by the Ray Society’, ought to have made it incumbent on me to supply desired 
information regarding the entire pterylosis of the interesting and almost unknown form 
Rhinochetus. 
The partially imperfect condition of the specimen, however, and still more my igno- 
rance at the moment of the taxonomic value of the disposition of the complete feathering, 
debarred me from paying the subject such full attention as it wanted. A comparison 
of all its feather tracts and spaces with those of the two other birds here in question is 
still a desideratum. I did, though, note some points, which shall be mentioned below. 
For a description of the pterylosis of Cancroma and Eurypyga and comparison of its 
general arrangement with that of the wading birds, and more especially with the genus 
Ardea, I cannot do better than refer to Nitzsch’s statements? concerning them. What 
little differences I have observed in the number of wing- and tail-feathers I announce 
in the subjoined paragraph, along with some remarks on Rhinochetus. 
In the Kagu the approximate stretch of the wings from tip to tip is about 26 inches. 
There are ten primaries, and thirteen secondaries. ‘The tail contains ten rectrices. An 
oil-gland of fair size is present, which is naked. The Boatbill agrees with the Kagu in 
the number of the primary and secondary wing-feathers, and in haying a naked oil- 
gland, which, however, is small; but the tail-feathers are twelve in number. 
In the Sun-bittern I find there are eleven primaries, the first of which is shorter 
than the succeeding ones. Eleven secondaries follow. The wings have a spread of 
about 2 feet. In the tail there are twelve rectrices. The oil-gland is small, and with a 
few short feathers at its base. 
According to Nitzsch there are in Cancroma twenty-two remiges, and ten on the 
pinion. ‘The first are somewhat falciform, and attenuated at the inner vane; the third, 
fourth, and fifth are the longest. The tail has only ten feathers, The specimen of 
Eurypyge which the same writer had the opportunity of examining through Cuvier’s 
kindness in Paris, does not seem to have been in a favourable condition for correct 
observation. ‘The number of remiges he did not ascertain with exactness; but on the 
pinion he considers “ there are certainly ten, of which the third is the longest.” In the 
tail he counted nine feathers, but, from the gaps, he supposed there ‘‘ would probably 
be twelve.” 
Relative to the structure of the feathers I noted what follows :— 
The Kagu (as well as the Boatbill) possesses an erectile crest (woodcut, fig. 2), some 
* Folio, vol. for 1867, edited by Dr. Sclater, from Burmeister’s edition of Nitzsch’s MS. 
* Op. cit., German edition (Halle, 1840), pp. 184-187, tab. viii. figs. 13,14, & 15; and English translation, 
pp. 127-130. 
