242 ME. W. p. PYCRAFT ON SO-CALLED 



and their coverts, of the forearm ; those of the hand need not be 

 taken into consideration in this connection. 



In the eutaxic wing of the Common Powl the earliest traces of 

 feathers are those representing the remiges and their dorsal 

 major coverts (Pi. 14. fig. 4). These form a double row 

 along the post-axial border of the wing, the major coverts lying 

 •opposite the interspaces of the remiges, the ventral row of major 

 coverts and the dorsal median and minor coverts appearing 

 somewhat later, and the marginal last of all (PL 14. fig. 4). 

 The arrangement of the median and minor follows that of the 

 major coverts and remiges, so as to form a series of alternating 

 rows, the feather rndiments of one row lying opposite the inter- 

 spaces of the row in front of, and behind it. By the time the 

 full complement of rows has been attained, however, this 

 primitive arrangement in horizontal rows is somewhat masked, 

 a,nd the feather-papillae appear rather to run in oblique rows 

 sloping either from without inwards or vice versa, according to 

 the view of the observer ; but, as will be seen later on, when 

 examining wings of other forms the obliquely-inward slope 

 becomes finally adopted. 



The wing of the Lapwing {Vanellus cristatus) (PI. 14. fig. 1) 

 agrees with that of the first stage (described above) of the 

 'Common Powl in having only two rows of feather rudiments 

 along the forearm, and, like this, it is also eutaxic. That is to 

 say, no shifting has as yet taken place. The fifth major covert is 

 not yet divorced from, its remex. In a much later stage (PI. 14. 

 fig. 2) this severance has taken place : the wing is now diasta- 

 taxic. Unfortunately, I have no intermediate stages between 

 this and fig. 1. It is of interest to note, that the downward 

 shifting in this case must have been but slight, as the inter- 

 calary is the 2nd and not the 3rd row of coverts, as was the 

 case in the typical wing described on p. 239. Moreover, the 

 feather rudiments seem to have travelled forward, inasmuch as 

 the 1st cubital remex now lies on a level with a line drawn 

 through the proximal end of the manus in front of the carpus ; 

 whilst in the younger stage the 1st remex lies proximad of this 

 imaginary section. 



The wing of the embryo Gruillemot {Lomvia troile) (PI. 15. 

 fig. 2) is one of the most valuable of the whole series now in 

 my possession ; earlier stages than this are much to be .desired* 

 Here the remiges and major, median, and two (with faint traces of 



