THE ZOO 
No. 684.—June, 1898. 
ON THE FIRST PRIMARY IN CERTAIN PASSERINE 
BIRDS. 
By ArtHur GARDINER ButuErR, Ph.D., and ArtrHur 
Grorce Butuer, M.B. Lond. 
In many Passerine birds the first primary is exceedingly 
small as compared with the second; and in the case of the 
families Fringilide, Motacilliide, and Hirundinide, this feather 
has been authoritatively declared to be absent. As far back as 
Jerdon’s time, and probably at a much earlier date, it was stated 
that these groups of birds possessed only nine primary quill- 
feathers; indeed, Dr. Jerdon notes this as the character which 
distinguishes the Ploceine and Estreldine, which are admitted to 
have a small first primary, from the other groups which he 
includes in his extended family Fringillide.* 
In Seebohm’s ‘History of British Birds’ we read :—‘‘ The 
Finches form a large group of birds which may at once be 
‘distinguished from all the other subfamilies of the Passeride by 
| their combination of a stout conical bill with the entire absence 
| 
of a first primary.” 
Of the Wagtails he says:—‘‘ The absence of a bastard or 
first primary sufficiently distinguishes them from the Thrushes, 
Tits, Crows, or Shrikes; and also from the Waxwings and 
Starlings, in which the bastard primary, though very small, is 
always present.” Of the Hirundinide he says:—‘“ They have 
no bastard primary.” 
* He included the Ploceine Finches, the Tanagers, and the Larks. 
Zool. 4th ser. vol. II., June, 1898. R 
