BIRDS. 



407 



The extremities, in birds, are the Wings, alae, the Legs, pedes, and the Rump, tiro- 

 pygium, with the Tail, cauda. The "Wings are flat, broad, extended, and compofed of 

 feveral divifions, which are articulated together by moveable joints, and are provided 

 with ftrong mufcles, for the purpofes of flight : Their fore parts are clothed with fea- 

 thers, called the Coverts, teclrkes, which are diftinguifhed into three orders; the LefTer 

 coverts, teclrkes minores, are placed on the upper and fore parts, immediately over the 

 bones of the wings; the Greater coverts, teclrkes majores, immediately below the for- 

 mer, extend downwards, covering the origin of the Quill-feathers, remiges, and are 

 themfelves covered at their origin by the Lefler coverts ; the Under coverts, rifing from 

 the bones of the wings at the under and fore parts, cover their infides, and lie over the 

 origin of the Quill-feathers on their inner or under fide : The pofterior part of the 

 Wings are edged with the Quill-feathers, remiges, which expand into a broad fan, a 

 little arched upwards, and by means of which the animals of this clafs are enabled to 

 bear themfelves through the air, in the action named fifing. The Quill-feathers are 

 ufually diftinguifhed into three orders; the Primaries, primores, are the outermost, and 

 are, for the moft part, ten in number ; the Secondaries, fecundaril, are placed in the 

 middle, and are from ten to eighteen in number ; and the Tertiaries, tertiales, are on 

 the infide, of which there are from three to five. The Scapulars, or Shoulder-coverts, 

 fcapulares, confift of a tuft of longilh feathers which arife from the root of the wings, 

 brachiis, near the junction with the body, and lie along the fides of the back, and over 

 the bafe of the wings, when ihut, connecting thefe together, but may be eafily feparated, 

 and diftinguifhed from the others. The Shield, fpeculum, is a fhining coloured fpot, - 

 a quadrilateral figure in general, moftly fituated on the furface of the Coverts, tecjriei 

 and fometimes, though rarely, on the Quill-feathers, remiges, of the wings ; this is ge- 

 nerally vifible, particularly in Ducks, even when the wings are clofed. The Baftard, 

 or Spurious, wing, alula not ha f. fpurla, is a kind of appendage to the true or principal 

 wing, placed near its outer extremity, at the bafe of the primary quill-feathers, and 

 confifts of from three to five fmall feathers of the quill kind. In a fmall number of 

 fpecies, which do not fly, as the Albatrofs, Penguin, Oftrich, and Dodo, the Quill- 

 feathers are entirely wanting. 



The wing is compofed of many bones, which may be compared, in fome meafure, 

 to thofe of the human arm and hand : «. A lengthened arm bone, brachium; p. Two 

 lengthened bones of the fore arm, cubiti; v . Two fnort bones of the wrift, carpi; 1. Two 

 moderately long bones of the back of the hand, meiacarpi, connected together ; t . Two 

 fingers, digites, of which the larger has two articulations, and is compreffed, while the 

 other is very fmall ; £. A thumb bone, polks, of a very fmall fize, which arifes from the 

 • fore 



