Jeffries on the Primaries of Birds. 
T 57 
the ten-primaried families have but one “ little feather” while 
the nine-primaried birds have two. Dr. Coues comes to the 
conclusion that the second little feather is the homologue of the 
first primary in ten-primaried birds. Next he passes on to the 
first “ little feather” and considers the pros and cons of this being 
a primary also, but does not commit himself. He states that size 
and shape point to its being a primary ; that color, principally 
relied on by Prof. Baird, points both ways; and “ that if the 
feathers be not a covert, then the first fully developed primary has 
none, while the rest have one apiece.” 
In 1878, Mr. Batchelder* showed that the second “little 
feather” is sometimes developed into a spurious quill, thus con- 
firming the supposition of Professor Baird. About the same 
time Dr. Couesf again returned to the subject, only this time he 
implies that both the “ little feathers” are primaries. He states 
that size, shape, and position are in favor of the first “little 
feather” being a primary, while “coloration is against such hy- 
pothesis,” though it sometimes points the other way, as in Sitta 
carolinensis. He entirely omits his argument about the first 
primary having no covert, though he refers the readers to his 
paper in the Bulletin. 
Before going farther it is necessary to study the feathers on the 
wing in regard to position, structure, color, and shape. The 
feathers of the wing are naturally divided into four or more sets. 
These are (1) the remiges with their coverts above and below ; 
(2) the contour feathers of the upper surface ; (3) the contour 
feathers of the lower surface ; (4) the contour feathers of the 
anterior edge, and the feathers of the false wing. The remiges 
are developed along the posterior, or radial, edge of the fore-arm 
and hand. Each remex has two coverts, one above and one 
below — the upper covert more distal in position than the remex 
it belongs to — which serve to a greater or less degree in flight. 
The coverts are arranged in quincunx order in relation to the 
remiges, and morphologically are only the contour feathers next 
to the remiges. However, they show such constant relations to 
the remiges that they are naturally classed with them. The 
remaining feathers of the upper and lower surfaces are contour 
* Bull Nutt. Ornith Club, III, No. 2, Apr., 1878, pp. 97-98. 
f Birds of the Colorado Valley, Pt. I, pp. 486-487, foot note. 
