BIRDS. 



409 



^hen they are called Clinging feet, prehenfiles. When the feet have only three toes, 

 all turned forwards, without any back toe, they are called Running feet, curforii. On- 

 ly one known fpecies, the Oftrich, has but two toes, both of which (land forwards. 

 A fmall number of birds have three toes, of which two (land forwards and one back- 

 wards ; this is a kind of anomalous foot of the Perching divifion, and is named Tri- 

 daclylous, tridaclyli. In water birds, for the purpofes of fwimming, the toes have a 

 membranous expansion at the (ides, which is varioufly difpofed, and gives occafion to 

 feveral divifions, which are ufeful in fyftem : In mod fwimmers, as in the Duck tribe, 

 the toes are completely connected by an interpofed membrane, when they are faid to 

 be Web-footed, palmati : Sometimes this membrane only connects the bafes of the toes 

 together, in which caie the feet are termed Half-webbed, femipalmati : In others the 

 toes are only edged with the membrane, without being connected together, when they 

 are called Lobe-footed, Lobaii : And laftly, in fome the membrane only edges the toes 

 -at the joints, forming a kind of lobes, when they are called Fin-footed, pinnati. 



The Claws, ungues, are moftly Sharp pointed, acuti ; fometimes Hooked, uncinatl; 

 fome are Blunt, obtufi; others are Flattened, having projecting edges, marghwti ; a few 

 are Toothed at the edges, ferrati; and a fmall number of birds have no claws, mutici. 



The Tail, cauda, is compofed of feathers, reclrkes, of the pen or quill kind, which 

 arife-from the edges of the Rump, uropygium, and are covered at their bafes by Tail 

 coverts, teclrkes, both on the upper and under fide of the rump ; on the back, or up- 

 per furface, of the rump there are two glands which fecrete an oily fluid, with which 

 the birds anoint their feathers. The tail is faid to be Short, bracbyura, when it is fhort- 

 ■er than the legs; and Long, macroura, when it exceeds thefe in length; it is called 

 Even, integra, when the tail feathers are all of an equal length ; Wedge-like, cuneata, 

 when thefe are longed in the middle, and grow regularly Ihorter towards each fide ; 

 Forked, forficata, when the middle tail feathers are the fhorteft, and thofe at the fides 

 longer ; and Rounded, arcuata, when the length increafes towards the middle fo as to 

 form a regular fegment of a circle. 



In general, the tail confifts of twelve pens or quill feathers, reprices, which are thus 



diftinguifhed ; 



1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.-6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 



that is, the two outer quills are named the firft, on the right and left fides, and fo on of 

 the reft ; in fome there are more of thefe feathers, as far as eighteen ; and in others 

 fewer, in which laft cafe there are ufually ten. 

 Vol, I. F f f Befides 



