﻿24 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF BIRDS. 



is almost universal among the woodpeckers, where its 

 red colour generally indicates the male sex. 



(30.) The parts of the neck (collum) are thus de- 

 signated : the upper part is the cervix, and the space be- 

 tween the nape and the back is the auchenium ; but these 

 parts are more commonly indicated in descriptions by 

 " neck above/' or u upper neck." The lower part is 

 divided into three portions : first, there is the chin or 

 mentum (ra),a small space just beneath, and adjoining to, 

 the lower mandible ; the gula (n), or upper throat, next 

 succeeds; and the jugulum, or lower throat, occupies the 

 rest of the space between the gula and the commence- 

 ment of the broad part of the body, which is termed the 

 pectus (o), or breast : this latter being the most convex 

 part of the whole. 



(31.) The body (corpus, p) commences with, or joins, 

 the pectus, or breast, and extends the whole length of 

 the sternum, or real breast-bone : the belly (abdomen, q) 

 succeeds to this, which is terminated by the vent (ven- 

 ter, r); immediately behind the vent, is what authors 

 term the crissum, but which is more properly the under 

 tail covers (s) ; these are frequently of a different colour 

 from the surrounding feathers, especially in the toucan 

 family, and in certain groups which represent them, as 

 the short-legged thrushes (Brachyus), linnets (Linaria), 

 &c. Proceeding to the upper part of the body (dorsum), 

 we have the interscapular region (inter scapulum, t), si- 

 tuated between the base of the wings ; which part is 

 usually denominated, par excellence, the back ; as the 

 tergum (v) is called the lower back : the uropygium, 

 or rump, is that part where the upper tail feathers 

 (w 2.) are inserted, and these latter are immediately 

 above the crissum. Last of all is the tail (cauda), 

 composed of long stiff feathers termed tectrices (#). 

 As the various forms of these will be subsequently 

 described, it is only necessary in this place to ob- 

 serve, that the two middle feathers are the interme- 

 dial (z), as more immediately interposed between those 

 on the side, or lateral feathers (aa). We may now 



