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GLOSSARY 



Nocturnal birds. Those wMch fly and feed by night. 

 Nostrils. The external openings in the upper mandible. 



Oblique. Slanting or crossing diagonally as the grooves on 



the bill of the puffin. 

 Ochraceous. A brownish-orange color ; of the color of yellow 



ocher or a little darker. 

 Olive. A greenish-brown color like that of pickled olives. 

 Outer toe. The outside one of the three front toes (see p. 40). 



Pectinated nail. A nail furnished with saw-like teeth. 

 Perching. Lighting or resting on the twigs of plants. 

 Plumage. The general feathering of the body. 



Primary. Any of the quills attached to the outer joint of the wing. 

 The outer one of all is the first primary (see p. 23). 



Quills. The larger feathers of wings and taU (often restricted to include 

 only the primaries of the wing) . 



Recurved. Bent backward. 



Reticulate. Forming or resembling a network. 



Rictal. Pertaining to the rear portion of the mouth. 



Rictus. The back or rear of the mouth (see p. 14) . 



Rufous. Rusty or reddish-brown ; the color of the usual red brick. 



Rump. The rear portion of the back (see p. 40). 



Rusty. A brownish-red ; the color of the rust formed on iron. 



Scapulars. The tuft of shoulder feathers ; the enlarged 



feathers at the inner part of the wing next the back. 

 Scutellae. The nearly square scales along the front of most 



tarsi. Scutellate, having scuteDa. 

 Secondaries. The quills of the second joint of the wing (see 



p. 23). 

 Sepia-brown. A blackish-brown. 

 Serration. Saw-tooth-like notches. 

 Shaft. The midrib of a feather. 



Slate color. A dark gray with less bluish than lead color. 

 Speculum. A bright-colored area on the secondaries of many 



ducks (S in the cut) . 

 Spinous feathers. Those with thorn-like projecting tips. 



Talons. The larger claws or nails of the toes of birds of prey. 

 Tarsus. The first joint of the leg above the toes. 



