656 DR. H. GADOW ON THE REMIGES OF BIRDS. [DeC 18, 



especially ia the Order of Passeres. The statements hitherto pub- 

 lished are, however, not always in harmony with each other, and 

 moreover are not free from mistakes. 



Considering that the results yielded by a renewed and more 

 comprehensive examination of the points in question may possibly 

 influence the systematic position of some genera or even subfamilies, 

 I submit the following tables (pp. 6.58-664) for the acceptance of 

 the Zoological Society of London. They contain the results of some 

 investigations which I have recently made. Many of the specimens 

 examined were fresh or had been preserved in spirits. Of many 

 species several specimens have been examined, in order to exclude 

 doubt, which occasionally arises, in the cases of moulting or imper- 

 fect or very small birds. 



The remarks which I have to offer are scanty, not only because 

 the whole matter is rather dry, but because I have abstained from 

 testing the taxonomic value of the arrangement of the terminal 

 primaries by correlating their features with other known characters. 

 At any rate the following tables show such considerable variations 

 of the terminal quills within the limits of avowedly closely allied 

 genera and subfamilies, that we ought to refrain from generalizations. 

 The same remark applies to the presence or absence of the fifth cubital 

 quill. Although this character was discovered by Gerbe in 1877, 

 and has lately been rediscovered by Wray, it remains still unex- 

 plained, young birds not throwing any light upon the question. The 

 presence of this fifth quill is indicated by a +, its absence by a — 

 in the accompanying tables. The other columns contain the total 

 number of primaries, and the way in which this number is composed 

 of metacarpal and the various digital quills. 



The most important result is evidence of the gradual reduction in 

 number of the functional quills. With the exception of Struthio 

 and the Spheniscidse, the number of primaries or metacarpo-digital 

 quills varies between 12 and 10. Amongst the birds which possess 

 12 primaries, the Podicipedidse, many Pelargi, and Rhea possess 7 

 metacarpal and .5 digital quills, whilst Aptetyx has 8 metacarpal and 

 only 4 digital quills. In all other birds the reduction from 12 to 11 

 is due to tlie reduction from 7 to 6 of the metacarpal quills. Abdimia 

 stands alone with 7 metacarpals, and only one quill carried by the 

 second phalanx of the second digit. The 11th or terminal quill is 

 never fully developed and hardly functional ; it is invariably much 

 shortened, and. is hidden between its upper and lower covert ; not 



CouES, E. " On the Number of the Primaries in Oscines." Bull. Nuttall 



Ornith. Club, i. (1876), pp. 60-6.3. 

 Geube, Z. " Sur les plumes du vol et leur mue." Bull. Soe. Zool. France, ii. 



(1877). pp. 289-290. 

 Jefpkiks, J. A. "On the Number of Primai-ies in Birds." BuU. Nuttall 



Ornith. Club, vi. (1881), pp. 6-11. 

 WuAY, R. S. " On some Points in the Morphology of the Wings of Birds." 



Proc. Zool. Soe. 1887, pp. 343-357. 

 FuEiiBRiNGEu, M. TJutersuchungen zur Morphologic und Systematik der Vogel. 



Amsterdam, 4°, 1888. 

 Bauid. Review of North-American Birds. 



