THE PIGEON. 105 



How many bones, exclusive of claw, in the hind toe? 

 In the inner toe? Middle? Outer? 



5. What is the covering of the toes and the tarsus? 



The Wings. 



1. Find three parts of the wing; viz., the arm, 

 forearm, and hand. 



2. The large feathers growing on the hand are pri- 

 maries. Those on the forearm are secondaries. If any 

 large feathers grow on the arm, they are called tertiaries. 



3. How many primaries are there? How many 

 secondaries ? 



4. Observe that one side of the primaries is larger 

 than the other. Which side overlaps? Why? 



5. Find smaller feathers covering the bases of the 

 primaries and secondaries. These are the wing cov- 

 erts, upper and lower. 



6. Find the thumb, which bears one primary, the 

 spurious primary. Has it any coverts? 



7. Count the tail feathers. Find the upper and 

 lower tail coverts. 



8. The bunches of large feathers on the shoulders 

 are the scapulars. 



The Body. 



Pick the pigeon, preserving some of the feathers 

 for future study. 



1. Do you find anything besides feathers on the 

 body? 



2. Are the feathers arranged in rows, or are they 

 scattered promiscuously over the body? Are there 

 any places Avhere there are no feathers? Can you 

 recognize any down? Any pin feathers? What are 

 pin feathers? 



3. See the oil gland on the dorsal side of the tail. 

 What is its use? 



