406 C. J. S unde vail on the Wings of Birds. 
So also in the Pygopodes, namely, to f in Colymbus and 
Podiceps, but little more than ^ in Ale a, JJria, &c. 
Among the Waders the wing-bones are longest in the 
larger Ardecs , in which they are but little shorter than the 
trunk (J- or more) ; in the Ciconiacese they reach about -J. 
(They appear to be longer in Phcenicopterus ). 
In Grus and Otis they reach to §; in the Tringacese and 
Charadrinse to rather more than -J; and in the Rallinse, with 
Fulica, not quite to 
In the Gallinse the wing-bones usually do not quite reach 
half the length of the body (in Lagopus f). 
The Raptorial birds, again, have them longer, and it is 
remarkable that those which live upon carrion and fish and 
about water stand foremost in this respect. 
In the Yulturinse the wing-bones appear generally to reach 
nearly to the extremity of the trunk; in Pandion to §; in 
Aquila albicilla to ; in Aquila chrysaetos nearly to j; in 
Buteo to §; somewhat shorter in Astur &c. In the true 
Falcons they are scarcely over ^. 
The Owls are distinguished by their long extremities and 
larger head contrasted with the small body. The wing-bones 
most commonly reach to about j [Bubo, Aluco liturata, &c.) ; 
but to | in Strix otus , and only to § in Strix nisoria, and ^ 
in S. passerina (Day-Owls). 
The Coccyges appear to include no form with long wing- 
bones. Most commonly they reach to about half the length 
of the body, somewhat more or less ( Columba , Cuculi, Psit- 
taci , Alcedo , &c.); they are rather longer in Coracias and 
Caprimulgits; Picus and Upupa , which agree so much with 
the Song-birds, have them rather shorter; Trochilus and 
Cypselus have already been mentioned on account of their 
extremely short wing-bones. 
In all the forms hitherto enumerated, the length varies 
somewhat on either side of the mean numbers here given, 
even in species of the same natural genus, just like the 
number of quill-feathers; but this variation almost ceases 
among the Song-birds, in which the wing-bones generally ex¬ 
tend half the length of the body, or are a little shorter ( e . g. in 
