1887.] ON THK MORPHOLOGY OF THE "WINGS OF BIRDS. 343 



2. On some Points in the Morphology of the Wings of Birds. 

 By Richard S. Wray, B.Sc. Lond. (Communicated 

 by Professor Flower, P.Z.S.) 



[Eeceived March 7, 1887.] 



(Plates XXIX.-XXXII.) 



Since the publication of Sundevall's paper "On the Wings of 

 Birds" in 1843 but little advance seems to have been made in our 

 knowledge of the disposition and modification of the feathers of the 

 bird's wing, although his original Swedish paper was twice translated 

 into German. In fact the paper, though forty years old, contains 

 much information not to be found in modern descriptions, a great deal 

 of it having apparently been overlooked. I have had occasion to go 

 into the subject somewhat fully in preparing specimens to illustrate 

 the structure of the bird's wing in the Index Museum of the British 

 Museum (Natural History). While doing this I found the ordinary 

 descriptions unsatisfactory, and at times could not reconcile what I 

 saw with them. This occasioned me to examine a great many birds' 

 wings of diiferent groups, and led to the results described in the 

 following paper. The wings were all exam.ined with a view to make 

 out the mode of insertion of the feathers, their relations one to 

 another aud to the bones, and dried skins were used only wlien fresh 

 specimens were unavailable. Through the kindness of Professor 

 riower I had great facilities afforded me in the way of obtaining 

 specimens, and I take this opportunity of expressing my great thanks 

 to him for his encouragement and assistance throughout the work. 



While Sundevall's paper gives the correct relations of the parts, 

 especially of the coverts, yet many points with regard to the remiges 

 and greater coverts he seems to have overlooked, and of others his 

 interpretation is erroneous. The relation of the remiges to the bones 

 of the manus is not fully described nor accurately figured. That 

 the primaries form two groups, metacarpals and digitals, is recog- 

 nized, but the absolute constancy of the most proximal digital 

 resting upon the phalanx of digit iii. has never been insisted upon ; 

 Sundevall's figure shows it as having no connection with the phalanx. 

 The presence of one or two more dorsal greater coverts than remiges 

 on examination turns out to be erroneous, since every one may be 

 accounted for. The presence of a small accessory reniex (remicle) 

 which I have made out renders the interpretation of the relations of 

 the coverts to the remiges more intelligible. These and some other 

 important points are discussed in the present paper. References to 

 Sundevall's paper are to the English translation which appeared in 

 'The Ibis" for October 1886, and are indicated thus (S. p. 396). 



The nomenclature adopted is founded upon that most in use 



^ " On the Wings of Birds," by C. J. Sundevall. Translated from the 

 original Swedish of the ' Kongl. Yeteusk.-Akad. Handlingar,' 1843, by W. S. 

 Dallas, F.L.S. (Ibis, 1886, p. 389.) 



