XXVll 



in order to poiut out at once botli its pres^ent. as -n-ell as its 

 orig-iual, position. 



The fifth or quintocubital remes on the ulna, marked t; 

 Avliich is absent in aquintocubital birds^ must Lave been 

 suppj-essed under perfectly similar conditions as the one re- 

 ferred to as commencing the gronp_, and its obvious struggle 

 for e:sisteuce is nothing more or less than a repetition of the 

 history of the fifth cubital remex. As the latter was succeeded 

 by a remex. and frequently had a shorter covert^, it inversely 

 shows that it closed the series of ilight-featliers belonging 

 to this group ; the consequence was tbut it occupied the posi- 

 tion now tenanted by the first one. 



As will be seen in fig. 3 of the Plate, on the proximal 

 phalanx of digit III. an additional remex is indicated by 

 dotted lines^ as well as a major covert represented by a red 

 dot only. This remex^ at first sight^ would appear to be 

 imaginary ; but this is not altogether the case. Seeing that 

 in all instances the second phalanx of digit II. has two pre- 

 digitalsj there is no obvious reason why the phalanx of digit III. 

 should not at some time have had the same number. In 

 the wings of some Argus Pheasants I found^, to my intense 

 satisfaction^, besides the carpal remex with its upper major 

 covert^ in a very rudimentary condition, the series indicated 

 which I had expected to be present occasionally. The hypo- 

 thesis is therefore confirmed by an actual fact. As a further 

 proof of its being a true series, consisting of remex and dorsal 

 major covert, it possesses a ventral major covert, an occur- 

 rence which I had latherto vainly sought for, although fully 

 expecting it to exist. In tliis Pheasant the ventral major 

 covert of the carpal set is also obvious, and serves to further 

 strengthen the argument respecting the carpal remex with 

 its conspicuous dorsal major covert. 



For the same reason a similar probability of the existence 

 of an additional remex on the tip of the unguis of the 4th 

 digit has been assumed. Indeed, there is every reason for 

 assuming that another remex with its resj)ective major 

 covert might at one time have existed and become ehmi- 

 nated, besides the 5th cubital. 



