330 University of California Fuhlications in Zoology [Vol.13 



e) Summary 



The Anseres are characterized as follows : 



(1) Plumules evenly distributed. 



(2) Aftershaft rudimentary or absent. 



(3) Rami of remiges with extremely broad filmlike ventral 

 ridges, furnished with dense villi on the ventral edge on the outer 

 vane. 



(4) Barbules of remiges and body feathers essentially the same, 

 the latter merely simplified. 



(5) Distal barbules with elongated ventral teeth and very slender 

 booklets. 



(6) Proximal barbules of "inner vane with slender base, 2 prox- 

 imal ventral teeth blunt and lobate, the others narrow and pointed, 

 and a moderately long filamentous pennulum with pronglike rudi- 

 mentary barbicels. 



(7) Proximals of outer vane with a series of straight, pointed 

 cilia on the pennulum. 



(8) Down barbules short, with nodes undeveloped, except 3 to 6 

 or 8 near tip which are very highly developed. 



Suborder Palamedeae 

 PI. 21, Fig. 31 



The two genera constituting this group, Palamedea and Chaiina, 

 differ in a number of important details of feather structure from the 

 Anseres. In Chauna cristata the barbs are heavily built, the pith 

 more than one cell in thickness, and with only a narrow translucent 

 ventral ridge. The distal barbules (pi. 21, fig. 31a) of the outer vane, 

 the only ones which I have obtained for study, are characterized by a 

 large, stout base with broad, lobate ventral teeth, reminiscent of the 

 Meleagridae, and by a fairlj^ short pennulum with a very large 

 series of long slender booklets, usually eight in number, followed by 

 only a few slender ventral barbicels. The proximals (pi. 21, fig. 

 315) have large, stout bases with the ventral teeth as in the 

 Anseres (i. e., the first two more lobate than the others), and a 

 short, rather broad pennulum as in the Ciconiae and also some Galli. 



The back feathers are of a rather peculiar nature, the penuula 

 being greatly elongated to give the characteristic hoary appearance. 

 The base is long and tapering, the booklets usually five, subequal in 

 size, followed by a complete series of ventral cilia, also of approx- 



