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OF THE
TO WHICH ARE SUBJOINED
A—AURICULARS,—feathers which cover the ears.
BB—The BASTARD WING. [alula spuria, Linn.] three or five quill-like feathers, placed at a small joint rising at the middle part of the wing.
CC—The LESSER COVERTS of the WINGS, [tectrices primę, Linn.] small feathers that lie in several rows on the bones of the wings. The UNDER COVERTS are those that line the inside of the wings.
DD-The GREATER COVERTS, [tectrices secundę, Linn.] the feathers that lie immediately over the quill feathers and the secondaries.
GG—The PRIMARIES, or PRIMARY QUILLS, [primores, Linn.] the largest feathers of the wings: they rise from the first bone.
EE—The SECONDARIES, or SECONDARY QUILLS, [secondarię, Linn.] those that rise from the second bone.
HH—The TERTIALS. These also take their rise from the second bone, at the elbow joint, forming a continuation of the secondaries, and seem to do the same with the scapulars, which lie over them. These feathers are so long in some of the Scolopax and Tringa genera, that when the bird is flying they give it the appearance of having four wings.
SS—The SCAPULARS, or SCAPULAR FEATHERS, take their rise from the shoulders, and cover the sides of the back.
P—COVERTS of the TAIL. [uropygium, Linn.] These feathers cover it on the upper side, at the base.
V—The VENT FEATHERS, [crissum, Linn.] those that lie from the vent, or anus, to the tail underneath.
IRIS, (plural IRIDES) the part which surrounds the pupil of the eye.
MANDIBLES,—the upper and under parts of the bill.
COMPRESSED,—flatted at the sides vertically.
DEPRESSED,—flatted horizontally.
CUNEATED,—wedge-shaped.
Head of the Merlin Hawk.
1—The CERE, [cera, Linn.] the naked skin which covers the base of the bill, as in the Hawk kind.
2—The ORBITS, [orbita, Linn.] the skin which surrounds the eye. It is generally bare, but particularly in the Parrot and the Heron.
Head of the Great Ash-coloured Shrike.
1—When the bill is notched near the tip, as in Shrikes, Thrushes, &c. it is called by Linnęus rostrum emarginatum.
2—Vibrissę, (Linn.) are hairs that stand forward like feelers: in some birds they are slender, as in Flycatchers, &c. and point both upwards and downwards, from both the upper and under sides of the mouth.
3—Capistrum—a word used by Linnęus to express the short feathers on the forehead, just above the bill. In some birds these feathers fall forward over the nostrils: they quite cover those of the Crow.
Rostrum cultratum, (Linn.) when the edges of the bill are very sharp, as in that of the Crow.
Head of the Night-jar.
1—Vibrissę pectinatę, (Linn.) These hairs in this bird are very stiff, and spread out on each side like a comb, from the upper sides of the mouth only.
Foot of the Night-jar.
Shewing the middle toe claw SERRATED like a saw. PECTINATED signifies toothed like a comb.
Head of the Great-crested Grebe.
2—The LORE, [Lorum, Linn.] the space between the bill and the eye, which in this genus is bare, but in other birds is generally covered with feathers.
Foot of the Kingfisher.
Shewing the peculiar structure, in the toes being joined together from their origin to the end joints.
Foot of the Grey Phalarope.
FIN-FOOTED and SCALLOPED, [pinnatus, Linn.] as are also those of the Coots.
Foot of the Red-necked Grebe.
Toes furnished on their sides with broad plain membranes. [Pes lobatus, Linn.]
Foot of the Cormorant.
Shewing all the four toes connected by webs.
SEMI-PALMATED, [semi-palmatus, Linn.] when the middle of the webs reach only about half the length of the toes.
CILIATED, [lingua cdiata, Linn.] when the tongue is edged with fine bristles, as in Ducks.
NOSTRILS LINEAR,—when they are extended lengthwise in a line with the bill, as in Divers, &c.
NOSTRILS PERVIOUS,—when they are open, and may be seen through from side to side, as in Gulls, &c.
A Method of dating dead Game. Recommended in Sir Thomas Frankland's "Cautions to Young Sportsmen," ed. 2 page 8.
"The following is a simple method of dating the day on which birds were killed. Let the six fore toes represent the six shooting days of the week. The left toe of the left foot answering for Monday, count from thence to the right toe of the right foot, which is to pass for Saturday. Let any portion of that toe which corresponds to the day on which the bird was killed, be cut off. If a part of one or more toes has been shot off, cut that which is to register the day still shorter. I am aware that a whole foot may be carried away; but in general the practice will answer. Perhaps in a well regulated larder, what I propose may be idle; but it is particularly useful in the case of game sent weekly from distant manors."
N. B. This Bird is supposed to have been killed on a Wednesday.
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