. The structure and classification of birds . olymbidEe, Tubinares, Steganopodes, Herodiones, Acoi-pitres, Auseres, &c. The majority of birds, in fact, have not the fifth cubitalremex. The most remarkable fact about this missingremex is that it is either absent or present ; in no case arethere any intermediate conditions, such as a small remex, See SoLATEE, Eemarks on the Fifth Cubital Eemex, &o., Ibis (6), ii. 1890,p. 77. PEATHEES 11 The only explanation, so far as I am aware, of thisremarkable state of affairs is contained in a suggestive paperby Degen. Degen commences with the assumption th

---

. The structure and classification of birds . olymbidEe, Tubinares, Steganopodes, Herodiones, Acoi-pitres, Auseres, &c. The majority of birds, in fact, have not the fifth cubitalremex. The most remarkable fact about this missingremex is that it is either absent or present ; in no case arethere any intermediate conditions, such as a small remex, See SoLATEE, Eemarks on the Fifth Cubital Eemex, &o., Ibis (6), ii. 1890,p. 77. PEATHEES 11 The only explanation, so far as I am aware, of thisremarkable state of affairs is contained in a suggestive paperby Degen. Degen commences with the assumption that inthe hands of the primitive bird all three fingers—then freelymovable—were furnished with remiges. In modern birdsremiges are only attached to thethumb {ala spuria) and todigilQJ/ Degen also postulates a fourth finger (of whichrudiments have been discovered in modern birds ; see below)with its remiges. When the metacarpal bones became fused the feathersof the third and fourth digits were, he supposed, forced back3 4 (5) 6 -Ji.

---

Size: 1648px × 1516px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1898