direction of the hyoid horn. The muscle has its punctum fixum at its origin at the 

 mandible, and consequently by its contraction protrudes the tongue. The right and 

 left horns of the tongue, each surrounded by its genio-hyoid muscle, may be compared 

 to a flexible rod surrounded by an elastic steel spiral, which is fastened to one end of 

 the rod ; it will then be understood that the force with which, and the extent to 

 which, the tongue can be propelled depends directly upon the length of the hyoid 

 horns. Thus we see that in Woodpeckers and in Humming-birds, which can protrude 

 their tongues very far, the hyoid horns are so long that they are carried quite round 

 the skull, and with their tips reach the neighbourhood of the nostrils. The retractors 

 of the tongue are the right and left stylo-hyoid muscles, each of which arises as a broad 

 band from the lateral and posterior surface of the occiput, a little in front of and 

 sidewards from the hyoid horn, crossing the two bands of the genio-hyoid of its side, 

 and being inserted on the sides of the base of the tongue, laterally and dorsally from 

 the base of the hyoid horn. These muscles, each having its punctum fixum at 

 the occiput, act as the chief retractors of the tongue. Various other muscles move 

 the tongue sidewards, lift it up towards the palate, or depress it in order to assist 

 in the act of swallowing food. Two such depressor muscles are figured in Nectarinia, 

 where they are seen to extend from the base of the tongue down the side of the 

 trachea. 



Remiges. — There are nine cubital quills or secondaries and ten primaries. The 

 terminal distal or tenth quill is well developed, being nearly two thirds the length 

 of the ninth ; its upper covert is only 1 centim. long. As is frequently the case in 

 birds in which the tenth primary is distinctly functional or of fair size, there is present 

 an extremely small eleventh primary quill, together with an equally tiny upper covert. 

 The tip of the wing is formed by the eighth to sixth primaries ; the ninth equals the 

 fourth in length. 



The rectrices are twelve in number and soft — the middle pair being the longest, the 

 outermost pair the shortest. 



The spinal tract forms a distinct rhombic saddle, and is continued as an unbroken 

 tract down to the base of the oil-gland, where it is slightly broader than at the hinder 

 corner of the saddle. The feathers of the latter are fluffy. Between the contour- 

 feathers of the spinal tract are interspersed numerous filoplumes or hair-like feathers, 

 Together with little black downs, some of which also occur on the apteria or bare 

 spaces, especially sidewards from the saddle. 



The well-defined pectoral tracts exhibit nothing remarkable. The so-called pectoral 

 or axillary yellow tufts consist of about twelve very thin soft feathers on each side, 

 which are about 4 centim. in length, are black at the basal quarter, and arise in one 

 row from the anterior margin of the wing-membrane near the shoulder. According 

 to this position they belong to the inferior marginal contour-feathers, but they are 

 modified into downs. Each feather consists of one long and feeble shaft with numerous 

 almost equally long, but still feebler, rami or barbs. Each ramus, again, carries an 

 anterior and a posterior series of radii or barbules. These barbules are at their basal 



