A History of North American Birds, Land Birds. Volume 3

Biol´ogy, n. The study of living beings, as to the laws and results of organization. It is more comprehensive than physiology.

Biotax´y, n. Equivalent to taxonomy.

Biven´ter, n. Name of a double-bellied muscle of the neck.

Blas´toderm, n. Superficies of the early embryo.

Boat-shaped (tail), a. Having plane of each side of tail meeting the other obliquely, making a re-entrance above and keel below.

Boot, n. The tarsal envelope when entire.

Boot´ed (tarsus), a. Having the tarsal envelope entire, i.e. undivided in most or all of its extent, by fusion of the usual scales or plates. (111.)

Bo´real, a. Northern.

Boss, n. Stud; knob; protuberance; short stout process.

Brach´ial, a. Pertaining to the wing.

Brachyp´terous, a. Short-winged.

Brachyu´rous, a. Short-tailed.

Breast, n. (62.) See Pectus.

Bris´tle, n. Small stiff hair-like feather, especially about the mouth or eyes. Compare Vibrissa.

Bron´chial, a. Pertaining to the bronchi.

Bron´chus, n.; pl. bronchi. Fork or branch of the windpipe below, leading to either lung.

Buc´cal, a. Pertaining to the cheeks internally.

Buff, Buffy; a. Pale brownish-yellow; color of yellow buckskin.

C

Cadu´cous, a. Falling off early.

Cæ´cal, a. Pertaining to the cæca.

Cæ´cum, n.; pl. cæca. (Pronounced see´cum.) Intestinal cul-de-sac at junction of smaller and larger intestines, usually present paired in birds; sometimes a foot long. (Also written cœcum, cœca.)

Cal´amus, n. Quill; the dry, hard, horny portion of the stem of a feather below the web, hollow or partly pithy, and translucent. Calamus + rhachis = scapus. (145.)

Calca´neal, a. Pertaining to the back upper portion of the tarso-metatarsus (tarsus of ordinary language).

Calca´neum, n. Heel; back upper part of tarso-metatarsus. Same as talus. (107.) One of the tibial condyles is by some regarded as the homologue of the calcaneum.

Cal´car, n. Spur; sharp horn-covered bone-cored process on the shank of many birds; also, similar horny process on the metacarpal bone.

Calcarat´us, a. Spurred.

Calca´reous, a. Chalky. A cormorant’s egg is covered with calcareous substance.

Calcif´ic, a. Calcifying; an epithet of that portion of the oviduct where the egg-shell is formed.

Calig´ula, n. Same as Boot (which see).

Cal´lus, n. New bony matter joining a fracture.

Calypte´ria, n. pl. Tail-coverts; the smaller feathers underlying or overlying the base of the tail. (Little used.) See Crissum and Tectrices Caudæ. (71.)

Ca´lyx, n. Pedicellated ovarian capsule of two membranes with lax tissue and vessels, rupturing at a point called the stigma to discharge the ovum, then collapsing and becoming absorbed.

Campte´rium, n. Front and outer border of wing as far as the bone extends. (Little used.) (95.)

Canalic´ulum, n. Little groove.

Can´cellated, a. Denoting bony network.

Can´thus, n.; pl. canthi. Corner of eye where the lids meet; commissural point of eyelids. Canthi are anterior and posterior.

Cap, n. Pileus (which see). (30.)

Cap´illary, a. or n. Of hair-like slenderness. The smallest bloodvessels are the capillaries.

Capis´trate, a. Hooded or cowled.

Capis´trum, n. Hood or cowl; front of head all around bill. (38.)

Cap´itate, a. Said of a feather having enlarged extremity.

Capit´ulum, n. Head of a rib.

Cap´sular, a. Denoting certain ligaments that completely invest a joint.

Ca´put, n.; gen. capitis, pl. capita. Head. (9, 29.)

Car´diac, a. Pertaining to the heart.

Cari´na, n. Keel; under ridge, as if a keel.

Car´inate, a. Keeled; ridged beneath as if keeled; having a keel, as the sternum of most birds.

Car´inate (birds), n. Those possessing a keeled sternum; the group Carinatæ as contrasted with Ratitæ.

Car´neous, a. Fleshy.

Carniv´orous, a. Flesh-eating.

Carot´id (artery), a. for n. The principal bloodvessel of the neck, single in most birds, sometimes paired as in mammalia.

Car´pal, a. Pertaining to the wrist.

Car´pal An´gle, n. Prominence formed at the wrist-joint when the wing is closed. It is practically an important point regionally, since the universally used measurement, “length of wing,” is from this point to the end of the longest quill.

Car´pus, n. The wrist; especially its bones.

Car´tilage, n. A whitish, hard, and solid, but elastic, flexible, and soluble, substance of the body, permanent, or becoming osseous by deposition of bone-earth. It occurs in the windpipe, in many joints, and elsewhere.

Cartilag´inous, a. Like, containing, or consisting of, cartilage.

Car´uncle, n. Small fleshy excrescence, particularly about the head, usually naked, and wrinkled, warty, or brightly colored.

Carun´culate, a. Having caruncles.

Cau´da, n. The tail. (69.) In descriptive ornithology, generally only the tail-feathers are meant. Cauda navicularis = Boat-shaped Tail (which see).

Cau´dad. Backwards; toward the tail.

Cau´dal, a. Pertaining to the tail; as, caudal vertebræ, or caudal extremity; but we hardly say caudal feathers.

Cell, n. Any closed sac containing fluid or other substance.

Cel´lular, a. Having cells; composed of cells.

Cen´tre of Grav´ity, n. Point of a body about which the whole is balanced, and which, if supported, supports the whole. In a flying bird the centre of gravity is below the middle of the body, so that the bird is naturally ballasted.

Cen´trum, n.; pl. centra. Body of a vertebra.

Ceph´alad. Forwards; towards the head.

Cephal´ic, a. Pertaining to the head.

Cephalo-cer´cal (axis), a. Denoting the long axis of the body.

Ce´ra, Cere, Cero´ma, n. Fleshy, cutaneous or membranous, often feathered, covering of base of bill of many birds, as parrots, hawks, and owls; differing thus in texture from the rest of the rhamphotheca, and usually also showing an evident line of demarcation. When present, the nostrils are always pierced in its substance,—at least at its edge.

Ceratohy´al, n. A portion of the “horn” of the hyoid bone.

Cer´cal, a. Pertaining to the tail. (Little used.)

Cerebel´lar, a. Pertaining to the cerebellum.

Cerebel´lum, n. Little brain; the hinder, lower, smaller mass of the brain, in birds striate transversely.

Cer´ebral, a. Pertaining to the brain.

Cer´ebro-spinal (axis or column). The whole neural axis, or column of nerve-substance enclosed in the spinal canal and cranium.

Cer´ebrum, n. Brain proper, or larger brain, as distinguished from the cerebellum.

Ceru´men, n. Ear-wax.

Cer´vical, a. Pertaining to the hind-neck; as, a cervical collar. Also, pertaining to the whole neck; as, cervical vertebræ.

Cer´vix, n. Hind-neck; from occiput to interscapulium, including nape and scruff. (48.)

Chalaz´æ, n. pl. Twisted filaments of condensed albumen forming a thread at each pole of the yolk, steadying it by attachment to the lining membrane of the egg, and balancing it in such manner that the “tread” stays uppermost.

Chalazif´erous, a. Denoting the layers of condensed albumen which form the chalazæ.

Char´acter, n. Any material attribute susceptible of definition for use in description and classification. Also, a sum of such attributes; as, of passerine character.

Chas´ma, n. Decussation of the optic nerve.

Cheek, n. Outside of base of lower jaw; also, the corresponding region of upper jaw. Compare Genæ and Malar Region. (26.) (The term is differently employed by various writers, and is at best not definite.)

Chin, n. Space between forks of lower jaw; upper throat. See Mentum. (46.)

Cho´roid, n. Vascular black membrane of the eye, between retina and sclerotic. Choroid plexus, a certain fold of the pia mater.

Chyle, n. A certain intestinal fluid resulting from digestion.

Chyme, n. A certain product of incompleted digestion.

Cicatric´ula, n. Dark spot on the surface of a fecundated yolk. See Yolk.

Cil´iated, a. Bristly; furnished with bristles, or small bristle-like feathers; fringed.

Cil´ium, n.; pl. cilia. Bristly or hair-like feather, about the mouth and eyes especially. See Vibrissa and Seta.

Cine´reous, a. Of an ashy color.

Circum- (in composition). Around; about: as, circumanal, circumorbital, circumaural,—around the anus, orbit, ear, etc.

Circumduc´tion, n. Movement of a limb by which, if completed, a cone is described.

Cirrh´ous, a. Tufted.

Class, n. Fundamental division of animals: the class of Birds; the class Aves.

Classifica´tion, n. Systematic arrangement.

Clav´icle, n. Collar-bone. In birds, the two clavicles usually unite to form the furculum, merry-thought or wish-bone.

Clavic´ular, a. Pertaining to the clavicles.

Claw, n. (121.)

Claw-joint, n. (122.) See Rhizonychium.

Clit´oris, n. Erectile venereal organ of the female, homologue of the male penis, present in some birds.

Cloa´ca, n. Enlarged lower end of straight gut, receptacle of products of genito-urinary system and refuse of digestion.

Clutch, n. Nest-complement of eggs.

Cne´mial, a. Pertaining to the crus or shin. Equivalent to crural.

Cnemid´ium, n. End of crus, naked in most wading birds.

Coccyge´al, a. Pertaining to the tail, especially to its bones; synonymous with caudal.

Coc´cyx, n. The tail, as to its bones collectively. Os coccygis. Any one of the tail-bones, or coccygeal vertebræ.

Coch´lea, n. A certain portion of the inner ear.

Cœ´cum, n.; pl. cœca. See Cæcum.

Cœ´liac, a. Pertaining to certain of the abdominal viscera. Little used, excepting as the name of a certain artery, the cœliac axis.

Coi´tus, n. Sexual intercourse.

Col´lar, n. Ring of color around neck. See Torques. (55.)

Col´lum, n. Neck; part of body between and connecting head and trunk. (47.)

Colora´tion, n. Coloring; pattern or mode of coloring, or the colors collectively.

Columel´la, n. Bone or cartilage of the inner ear of Sauropsida, answering to the stapes of mammalia.

Comb, n. Erect fleshy lengthwise process, or caruncle, on top of head, as in the domestic cock.

Commis´sural Point. Point where the apposed edges of the mandibles meet and join; corner of the mouth. Equivalent to angle of the mouth, angulus oris.

Com´missure, n. (Lat. con and mitto, to put or lay together.) Line of closure of the two mandibles; track or trace of their apposed edges when the jaws are closed. Often improperly used to signify the opening between the mandibles; but this is apertura oris, gape, rictus. Commissure is the whole rima oris, outline of the mouth, when such outline of upper and under jaw is made one in closure of the mouth.

Complex´us, n. Name of a certain cervical muscle.

Compressed´, a. Narrowed sidewise; higher than wide. The opposite of depressed.

Compressed´ (tail), a. Folded together, as in the barnyard cock. = Cauda compressa.

Cona´rium, n. Same as Pineal Body (which see).

Con´cave, a. Hollowed, as the inner side of a curved line or inner face of a curved surface. Opposite of convex.

Con´dyle, n. Articular eminence of bone in hinge-joints.

Con´fluent, a. Run together; grown together; coalesced.

Coniros´tral, a. Having a conical bill, like a sparrow’s.

Conjuncti´va, n. Vascular membrane lining the eyelids and reflected over the front of the eyeball.

Con´nate, a. Born or produced together; originally united; joined from the beginning. Connation is earlier and more intimate or complete union than confluence.

Continu´ity, n. Part of a thing between its ends in any way distinguished.

Con´tour Feath´ers, n. The general plumage of perfect feathers, lying external and determining the superficial shape of a bird. Distinguished from down feathers.

Cor´acoid (bone), n. Large stout bone connecting shoulder with sternum.

Cor´date, Cor´diform, a. Heart-shaped.

Coria´ceous, a. Denoting integument of dense, tough, leathery texture.

Co´rium, n. Same as Cutis (which see).

Cor´nea, n. Transparent portion of the eyeball.

Cor´neous, a. Horny.

Cor´niplume, a. Tuft of feathers on head, erected like a horn.

Cor´nu, n. Horn.

Coro´na, n. Top of head. Equivalent to cap or pileus. Vertex is the highest point of corona.

Cor´onate, a. Having coronal feathers lengthened or otherwise distinguished.

Cor´pus, n. Body, as a whole.

Cor´pus Callo´sum, n. Mass of transverse white fibres, connecting the cerebral hemispheres; wanting in birds.

Cor´tical, a. External, as opposed to medullary.

Cos´tal, a. Pertaining to the ribs.

Costif´erous, a. Rib-bearing, as the dorsal vertebræ.

Cot´yle, n. Same as Acetabulum.

Cox´a, n. Hip.

Cra´nial, a. Pertaining to the skull.

Cra´nium, n. Skull.

Crest, Cris´ta, n. Any lengthened feathers of top or sides of head.

Crib´riform, a. Sieve-like.

Cri´coid, a. Name of a certain laryngeal cartilage.

Cris´sum, n. Properly, the under tail-coverts collectively. Oftener used to designate the circumanal plumage. (66.)

Cro´taphyte (depression). A concavity on the outside of the skull on each side behind, filled with muscle; temporal fossa.

Crown, n. Pileus; top of head, especially the vertex.

Cru´cial, Cru´ciform, a. In the shape of a cross. The crucial test is one experimentally conclusive.

Cruræ´us, n. Name of a certain muscle of the thigh.

Cru´ral, a. Pertaining to the crus, or shin.

Crus, n. The shin; segment of the leg between the thigh and ankle, represented by the tibia.

Crys´talline (lens), a. See Lens.

Cu´bit, n. The forearm.

Cu´bital, a. Pertaining to the forearm.

Cu´cullate, a. Hooded.

Cul-de-sac, n. “Bottom of a bag”; closed end of a cavity.

Cul´men, n. Ridge of upper mandible; highest median lengthwise line of the bill. (20.)

Cul´minal, a. Pertaining to the culmen.

Cultriros´tral, a. Having the bill shaped like a heron’s.

Cun´eate, Cun´eiform, a. Wedge-shaped. A cuneate tail has the middle feathers longest, the rest successively regularly shortened.

Cun´eiform (bone), n. One of the wrist-bones.

Curso´rial, a. Running; pertaining or belonging to an obsolete group, Cursores or runners.

Cus´pidate, a. Pointed as a spear-head.

Cuta´neous, a. Pertaining to the skin. Same as dermal.

Cu´ticle, n. Scarf-skin; outermost layer of skin, which continually exfoliates.

Cu´tis, n. Skin; the true skin, as distinguished from cuticle and subcutaneous tissue. Corium and derma are synonymous.

Cyst, n. Sac holding pathological products.

D

Dac´tyl, n. Finger or toe. Equivalent to digit.

Dactylothe´ca, n. Covering of the toes.

Dasypæ´dic, a. Synonymous with ptilopædic.

Decid´uous, a. Temporary; falling early. The dorsal plumes of the egret are deciduous.

Decomposed´, a. Separate; standing apart. A decomposed crest has the feathers standing away from each other.

Decum´bent, a. Lying or hanging downward.

Decurved´, a. Gradually curved downward. Opposed to recurved.

Decus´sate, a. Crossed; intersected.

Defeca´tion, n. Act of discharging the contents of the cloaca.

Degluti´tion, n. Act of swallowing.

Dejec´tion, n. Same as defecation. Also, the matters so discharged.

Del´toid, a. Triangular. A muscle over the shoulder is so named.

Demi- (in composition). Half; same as semi-.

Den´tary, a. An epithet of the foremost element of the compound mandibular bone.

Den´tate, Dentic´ulate, a. Toothed; notched as if toothed.

Dentig´erous, a. Bearing teeth. The Ichthyornis, Apatornis, and Odontopteryx (?) are dentigerous birds.

Dentiros´tral, a. Having the bill notched as if toothed. Belonging to a certain obsolete order, Dentirostres.

Denti´tion, n. Act of cutting teeth.

Denuda´tion, n. State of nakedness; act of laying bare.

Denu´ded, a. Naked; laid bare.

Deor´sum. Below.

Deplu´mate, Depluma´tus, a. Bare of feathers. (4.)

Depressed´, a. Flattened vertically. Opposite of compressed.

Deræ´um, n. Bottom or lower part of the neck. (Little used.)

Der´mal, a. Pertaining to the skin; made of skin; cutaneous.

Der´mal Appen´dage. Any outgrowth from the skin.

Dertrothe´ca, a. Covering of end of bill.

Der´trum, n. End of maxilla, in any way distinguished. (21.)

Desmognath´ous, a. Having the palate bones united.

Des´moid, a. Ligamentous.

Desquama´tion, n. Peeling off.

Dex´trad, a. Toward the right side.

Dex´tral, a. Of or on the right side.

Di- (in composition). Twice; double.

Diagno´sis, n. Distinctive knowledge. Also characterization, or a brief, precise, and exclusively pertinent definition. Diagnosis is nearly synonymous in this sense with definition; both differ from description in omitting non-essential particulars; but definition may include points equally applicable to some other object.

Diagnos´tic, a. Distinctively and exclusively characteristic. Feathers are diagnostic of birds.

Diaph´anous, a. Transparent.

Di´aphragm, n. Midriff; musculo-tendinous partition between thorax and abdomen, rudimentary or wanting in birds.

Diaphragmat´ic, a. Pertaining to the diaphragm.

Diapoph´ysis, n. Transverse process of a vertebra.

Diarthro´sis, n. Movable articulation of bones in general.

Dias´tasis, Dias´tema, n. A separation of bones, particularly the cranial ones, or of teeth, from each other.

Dias´tole, n. Dilatation of the heart, alternating with the systole or contraction, occasioning pulsation.

Dichot´omous, a. Divided into pairs.

Dichromatic, a. Of two colors, as the “red” and “gray” plumages of Scops asio.

Didac´tylous, a. Two-toed, as the ostrich.

Digas´tric, a. Double-bellied; name of a certain muscle.

Digit´igrade, a. Walking on the toes. Opposed to plantigrade.

Digitus, n.; pl. digiti. Digit. Finger or toe. (116.)

Dimorphic, a. Of two forms.

Diplo´ë, n. Light spongy network of bone between inner and outer surface of the skull.

Disc or Disk, n. Set of radiating feathers of peculiar shape or texture around the eye of owls.

Dissepimen´tum Nar´ium, n. Same as septum narium, which see.

Dis´tad, a. Toward an extremity.

Dis´tal, a. Remote; situate at or near an extremity; opposed to proximal.

Dis´tichous, a. Two-rowed; spread apart on either side of a middle line, as the hairs of a squirrel’s tail, or the tail-feathers of the Archæopteryx.

Ditok´ous, a. Producing but two eggs, as the pigeon and humming-bird.

Diur´nal, a. Pertaining to the daytime.

Divar´icate, a. Branching off; spreading apart; curving away.

Divertic´ulum, n. An offshoot of the small intestine.

Dor´sad, a. Toward the back. Opposite of ventrad.

Dor´sal, a. Pertaining to the back.

Dor´sum, n. Back; upper surface of trunk from neck to rump. (57.)

Down, n. Small soft feathers of plumulaceous structure, generally growing about the roots of plumæ, and concealed by them. See Plumulæ.

Down´y, a. Of plumulaceous structure. A part of the plumage is of down-feathers, and the bases of the contour feathers usually also are of downy structure.

Duct, a.. Any tube for conveyance of an animal product; as oviduct, sperm-duct, lachrymal duct.

Duod´enal, a. Pertaining to the duodenum.

Duod´enum, n. A short portion of the upper intestine next to the gizzard, receiving the pancreatic and hepatic secretions.

Du´ra Ma´ter, n. Outer membranous investment of the brain.

Dusk´y, a. Of any undefined dark color.

E

Eared, a. Having lengthened or highly colored auricular or other feathers on the side of the head. Eared grebe; long-eared owl.

Ec´dysis, n. Moult; the shedding and renewal of plumage.

Econ´omy (also written œconomy), n. Physical or physiological disposition. (Literally, regulation of a household.)

Ecto- (in composition). Outer.

Ectozo´ön, n. External parasite, as a louse; same as epizoön. Opposed to entozoön.

Eden´tate, Eden´tulous, a. Toothless, as nearly all birds are.

Edge of Wing. (95.) See Campterium.

Ef´ferent, a. Conveying outward or away; opposed to afferent.

El´ement, n. A simple ultimate constituent part of a compound organ. The centrum is an element of a vertebra.

El´evated, a. Said of the hind toe when inserted above the level of the others.

Elon´gate, a. Lengthened beyond usual ratio.

Emar´ginate, a. Notched at the end; slightly forked, especially in case of a tail so shaped; also notched, or abruptly narrowed along the edge, in its continuity, as the border of many a wing-quill.

Embonpoint, n. State of perfect health, as indicated by condition of fatness not amounting to corpulence or obesity.

Em´bryo, n. Fecundated germ or rudiment of an animal; said of a bird until hatched, and therefore corresponding to fœtus in mammalogy.

Embryol´ogy, n. Science or study of the development of animals before birth or hatching.

Embryon´ic, a. Pertaining to an embryo; being an embryo; not yet hatched.

Enam´el, n. The hard white substance covering the teeth.

Enarthro´sis, n. Ball-and-socket joint.

Enceph´alon, n. Contents of the cranium, especially the brain.