and, pursuing my studies further and further^ I ultimately 

 arrived at tlie conclusions set forth in the present paper. The 

 particular feather which puzzled Dr. Sharpe \>-as an apparent 

 "median^' covert in the Snipes [GaUinago), ihe peculiar 

 pattern of Tvhich is alluded to below. It is situated on that 

 portion of tlie wing which is commonly called the " w^rist " 

 (fig. 1;, Co., p. xi)j and, so far as the material provided by 

 Dr. Sharpe discloses.it is always present. In no form of bird 

 tJiut 1 have exarii'med hUherto has it been absent *. 



•This feather further forms the first of a series of coverts, 

 and is always shorter than those succeeding it. For coni- 

 ])arison I would point out that it is equivalent to the first of 

 the major coverts of the digitals or primaries — that is to say 

 that^ taking the priraaiy coverts in their order, and com- 

 mencing from the distal end of the wing, we find that they 

 begin with a short one also. 



The feather which is under consideration may be said to 

 divide the wing characteristically into two parts, answering 

 to the two principal anatomical components of the fore-arm, 

 viz. the riianus and the antibrachium respectiveh^ Our 

 feather is sometimes conspicuously indicated in the bird^s 

 wing, as, for instance, in the Snipes [GaUinago), where it is 

 plainly tipped with white like the major covei'ts. 



In the majority of bii'ds, so far as I see, the uniformity in 

 general coloration of the wing-coverts lends no special oppor- 

 tunity for the recognition of the special feather in question ; 



* [Speaking g-enerally tLis would appear to be the case, but we must 

 be prepared to find exceptions, aud these apparently occur in the Pici and 

 UpKpidce. In tliese birds, so far as I have yet been able to discover, this 

 feather appears to be absent ; whether or not this is actually the case, 

 depends upon the identity of a feather here present which apparently 

 represents one of the two feathers to be described (p. x). On the wliole, 

 this feather (reduced to a semiplume in the Pici, and well developed and 

 pennaceous in the Z'pupidcc) justifies the view that it represents not the 

 feather to which the footnote refers ("carpal covert," p. xviii), but the 

 " carpal remex '" (p. x). Till this point is cleared up the fixity of the 

 " carpal covert'' must be considered subject to excejitions. 



I hope to discuss this matter more fully, together with some interesting 

 modifications, in a forthcoming paper. — W. P. P.] 



