ME. E. DEGEN ON ECDYSIS. 407 



Medians from the Minors between which they wedge themselves in. With regard to 

 the unsteady location of this intercalary row, in describing on p. 242 (/. c.) the two 

 different stages of the wing of a Lapwing {Vanellus cristattis, pi. 14. figs. 1 & 2) he 

 says : — " It is of interest to note that the downward shifting in this case must have 

 been but slight, as the intercalarij is the 2nd and not the ord rotv of coverts ^, as was the 

 case in the typical wing described on p. 239." 



That there is still another peculiarity which attaches to this row seems almost a 

 possibility, though not sufficiently clear as yet. It is that their position as regards 

 the Parrots is undoubtedly immediately above the major coverts ; this is confirmed by 

 Goodchild ; whereas, to judge from Pycraft's well-executed drawing of the wing of the 

 young fowl and that of the Zomvia troile, they are unmistakably placed above the 

 medians. I have no doubt about this interpretation as being correct also. But it 

 seems to suggest one thing, and that is, that they originally wedged themselves in 

 between different rows in different groups of birds, sometimes above, sometimes below 

 the medians. 



Their appearance takes place at a time when both the wing-membrane and the 

 bones are still very plastic. While in this condition, the contact of the flight-feathers 

 with the latter is much less intimate as far back as the region of cubital V., to which 

 point hardly any impressions of the contact of the remiges with the ulna can be found. 

 It is only proximally from this point that the bone shows traces of their contact in 

 the shape of sockets consisting of pits and tubercles, which are retained throughout 

 all the moults, and which are the outcome of the early fixtures of the remiges on the 

 posterior portion of the ulna. 



If the feathers composing the group of intercalaries were derived from the minor 

 series, the order of their renewal should correspond with these latter, which is an 

 outward one. Such, however, is not the case, as seen in a specimen of a Parrakeet 

 [PJatycercus eximius) in my collection, and dated from March 4, which shows this 

 particular stage of moult. In this the renewal proceeds in the same inward direction 

 as do the flight-feathers, their major and median coverts, — all belonging to the distal 

 group. On its right-side wing the 3rd, 4th, and 5th, or most proximally situated 

 feathers of this intercalary row, are to be seen in successive stages of growth in the 

 numerical order quoted ; whilst the 2nd and 1st respectively, or more distal ones, show 

 unmistakable signs of their having quite recently attained full development. On the 

 wing of the other side, this stage of moult is slightly more in advance, the 6th or last 

 feather being in process of renewal only. 



A specimen of a Musk Lorrikeet {Glossojjsittacus concinnus) also shows the same 

 arrangement. In consequence of this fact, the significance of flight-feathers as an 

 additional integer requires to be placed upon this set of feathers, similar to the 



1 These italics are mine. 



