3fi SECONDARIES AND TERTIAEIES THE TAIL. 



spurious first primary only occurs in certain ten-primaried Oscines. It is 

 evident, therefore, that the finding of this short primary is equivalent to 

 deteimining the presence of ten primaries; hut, on the other hand, not 

 finding it does not prove nine primaries ; the count must be made in all 

 cases where the first primaiy is more than ojie-third as long as the second. 



§ 63. The Secondakies (Pi. i, fig. 1, s) are those remiges that are seated 

 on the forearm (fig. 6, bc) ; they vary in numl)er from six upward, the pre- 

 cise greatest number probal)ly not ascertained, unless it be the forty of the 

 albatross. They have the peculiarity of being actually attached to one of 

 the bones of the forearm (ulna) which the other remiges are not. If you 

 examine an ulna, yon will see a row of little points showing the attachment. 

 TJie secondaries present no special features necessaiy to describe in the pres- 

 ent connection. They are enormously developed in the argus pheasant. 



§ 64. (a.) The Teutiai!IES (PI. i, fig. 1, t) are, properly, the remiges 

 that grow upon the upper arm {humerus) ; but they are not evident in most 

 birds, and the two or three innermost secondaries, that grow upon the very 

 elbow, and are commonly different from the rest, in form or color, or both, 

 pass under the name of tertiaries. So also some of the scapular feathers 

 (§ 38, and PI. i, fig. 1, sc]]), when long or otherwise conspicuous, are called 

 tertiaries. But there is an evident and proper distinction. Scapulars are 

 feathers of the ^j/ery/a humeralis (§ 9, b) ; while tertiaries, whether seated 

 on the elbow or higher up, are the innermost remiges of the jyterijla alaris 

 (§ 9, b). They are oftener called "tertials," for short, though the other 

 name is more correct, l)esides being formed in analogy with the names of 

 the other remiges. Tertiaries do not often aflbrd conspicuous or important 

 characters; but in many birds they are very long and flowing. This is 

 joarticularly the case in most sharp-winged wading birds ; and, in fact, is 

 mainly confined to birds with such a wing. 



(b.) Occasionally, any of the wing feathers take on remarkable special 

 developments, and such is particularly the case with the tertials and second- 

 ary upper coverts ; but it would be superfluous to particularize these here. 

 The wing rarely produces anything but feathers ; sometimes, however, oflcn- 

 sivo weapons are found, as in the horny spur-like process of the pinion of 

 the spur-winged thrush. Tardus dactylopterus, the spur-winged ' goose 

 {Plectropterus) , spur-winged pigeon {DiduncuJus) , several plovers {Chet- 

 tiisia, etc.), the jacanas (Pcirra), etc., and the one or two claws of the 

 ostriches and their allies, as well as of the extinct ArcJmopteryx. But we 

 have no illustration of these outgrowths among North American birds. 



The Tail. 



§ 65. Time was wlien birds flew about with long bony and fleshy tails, 

 Avith the feathers inserted in a row on either side (disticho^is) like the hairs 

 of a squirrel's. But wo have changed all that. Now the bones are few 

 (generally about nine in nunilier), and short, not projecting beyond the sen- 



