" AQUINT0CUBITALI8M " IN THE BIRd's WING. 245 



becomes associated with the 5tb, that of the 7th remex with the 

 ■6th, and so on. A reference to the diagrams will make this 

 clear. 



At first sight, this outward movement seems to make rather a 

 large demand upon the imagination, and to this extent to throw 

 doubt on the interpretation of the facts recorded in this paper. 

 The difficulty, however, is more imaginary than real. It simply 

 means that the remiges in question become associated with 

 transverse rows immediately in front instead of with those next 

 Ijehind. This must certainly happen in the case of the Gruille- 

 mot's wing. In the Duck aud Pigeon's wings (PI. 15. figs. 1 & 3) 

 this forward movement has already taken place. The ventral 

 jnajor coverts from the 6th inwards are subjected to the same 

 forward movement as those of the dorsal surface. Thus the 5th 

 remex lies between the Gth pair of major coverts, 6th remex 

 between the 7th pair, and so on. The position of the ventral 

 coverts 1-5 in these figures will illustrate the downward — ventral- 

 ward — shifting of the feathers in this region. 



The Carpal Covert and Remex. 



A fixed point of no small value in the present connection is 

 that afforded by the two feathers known as the carpal covert and 

 the carpal remex (PI. 14. fig. 2, c.c, c.r) ; inasmuch as, since 

 Ihey occur in wings of both types, they serve as valuable land- 

 marks, and show, moreover, that the disturbance is to be sought 

 ^or proximad of this point, and thus help to confirm the conten- 

 tions of this paper. The significance of these feathers has been 

 discussed by Wray (8), the present writer (5), and by Degen (1), 

 who bestowed on them the names Carpal covert and remex, 

 from their position on the carpus. Although feeling by no 

 means certain on this point, I think the probability is that the 

 " remex " is really correctly so named, and that it represents a 

 feather more or less completely dwarfed and in course of dis- 

 appearance. Its office — as a remex — has not entirely ceased. It 

 is probably being slowly crushed out of existence by reason of its 

 position, which is in the angle of the wing caused by the folding 

 of the hand on the forearm. The 1st cubital remex of the 

 Oallinse is, like its carpal remex, and for the same reason, under- 

 going a similar process of reduction. 



