418 C. J. Sundevall on the Wings of Birds. 
the trouble it causes, but I have omitted it ; it can be un¬ 
dertaken only with freshly killed birds. 
On the hand these feathers are continued in two or three 
series, which in no respect differ in structure from the second 
series of coverts, and exactly cover the small portion of the 
hand which is not clothed by the large coverts. They are 
usually concealed by the quill-feathers of the thumb, and 
always lie right, i. e. not reversed as on the cubitus. 
4. The Tectrices minima s. antecubitales (smallest or fore¬ 
most covert-feathers, figs. 3 and 7, e) are seated in several 
series upon the fold of skin in front of the cubitus. They 
are right-lying, not reversed like those on the cubitus itself. 
But we often find one of these series reversed, in agreement 
with the preceding ones, e. g. in the Gallinse, in the diurnal 
and nocturnal Birds of Prey, and many others. The series 
of feathers which are counted parallel with the preceding 
run obliquely towards the anterior margin of the fold of skin 
(see figs. 2, 3, 6, and 7) ; but in some Waders, in Larus , and 
especially in the lower Water-birds (Pygopodes, Procella- 
rinse), the fold of skin is very narrow in front of the cubitus, 
and covered only by 2(-3) complete rows of small feathers. 
In certain Psittaci and some few other birds, the feathers 
which are placed nearest to the margin have peculiar lumi¬ 
nous colours. This margin was called the campterium by 
Illiger. I am inclined to think that we should do better by 
calling it simply the margo alee cubitalis, carpi , &c., accord¬ 
ing to circumstances. 
C. Lower Wing-feathers. 
1. Tectrices aversce s. inferiores primes (reversed feathers, 
figs. 4 and 8, o, p). These are situated closest to the roots 
of the remiges, behind the muscular layer of the wing. They 
have undoubtedly the most singular position of all the feathers 
on the bird’s body, for although they belong to the underside 
of the wing, their position is the same as that of the remiges, 
so that when the wing is considered from the underside 
they show their reversed side (with a raised, grooved shaft, 
&c. Vide antea, p. 397, 2). The right side is turned in- 
