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

Sin´ciput, n. Anterior half of pileus, from bill to vertex. (32.)

Sinis´trad, a. Toward the left.

Sinistral, a. On the left side.

Si´nus, n. Name of numerous and various cavities of the body.

Skel´eton, n. Sum of the bones of a body. It generally means only the endoskeleton proper, or internal bony framework of the body, as distinguished from exoskeleton or dermoskeleton.

Sole, n. (106.)

Soles of Toes, n. (118.)

So´leus, n. A muscle of the leg.

Spat´ulate, a. Spoon-shaped; contracted near the end, where enlarged.

Spe´cies, n. Aggregate of individuals related by genetic succession without notable change of physical characters.

Specif´ic, a. Of, or relating to, a species; as, specific name, specific character.

Spec´ulum, n. Mirror; brightly colored area on the secondaries, especially of ducks.

Sperm, n. The secretion of the testicles; same as semen.

Spermat´ic, a. Pertaining to semen, or to the organs concerned in its production and emission.

Spermatozo´a, n. pl. Essence of the male seed.

Sphe´noid (bone), n. A compound bone of the skull, constituting much of the second cranial segment.

Sphenoid´al, n. Relating to the sphenoid.

Sphinc´ter, n. An annular muscle constricting or closing a natural orifice; especially, sphincter ani.

Spi´nal, a. Relating to the backbone.

Spina´lis, a. for n. Name of a certain muscle of the back.

Spine, n. Backbone. Also, any sharp projecting point of bone or horn.

Spinose´ or Spi´nous, a. Sometimes said of a mucronate feather.

Splanch´nic, a. Visceral.

Splanchnol´ogy, n. Science or study of the viscera.

Spleen, n. A deep red, soft, spongy, ductless and extremely vascular, abdominal organ of uncertain function.

Sple´nial, a. Name of a certain element of the mandible.

Sple´nius, a. for n. A certain cervical muscle.

Spur, n. (108.)

Spu´rious, a. False; bastard; imperfect; rudimentary.

Spu´rious Quill, n. The first primary, when rudimentary or very short.

Spu´rious Wing, n. Feathers growing on the so-called thumb of birds.

Squam´ous, a. Scaly.

Sta´pes, n. One of the auditory ossicles; the stirrup-bone, becoming the columella in Sauropsida.

Steganop´odous, a. Having all four toes full-webbed. (141.)

Stel´late, a. Starred.

Stem, n. (144.) See Scapus.

Ster´ile, a. Unfruitful; infecund; barren; noting the condition of the female corresponding to impotence of the male.

Ster´nal, a. Relating to the breast-bone.

Ster´num, n. Breast-bone.

Stethiæ´um, n. Entire anterior half of a bird. (7.) (Little used.)

Stig´ma, n. See Calyx.

Stip´ula, n. Newly sprouted feather.

Sto´ma, n. Mouth.

Strag´ulum, n. Mantle; back and folded wings taken together. Same as pallium. (61.) (Little used.)

Stra´tum, n. Layer.

Streak, n. Lengthwise color-mark; not so strong, firm, or large as stripe.

Stri´a, n.; pl. striæ. Stripe; streak.

Stri´ate, a. Striped; streaked.

Stri´dent, a. Shrill.

Strig´ine, a. Owl-like; belonging to the Strigidæ.

Stripe, n. A long, strong, sharp streak.

Stro´ma, n. Essential texture of any organ.

Stru´thious, a. Ostrich-like.

Sty´loid or Sty´liform, a. Shaped like a peg or pin.

Sub- (in composition). Under; less than; not quite; somewhat; slightly so. Sub- diminishes the force, point, or extent of application of a term.

Sub-ba´sal, a. Near the base.

Sub-class, n. An intermediate group often recognized between class and order, of less taxonomic value than the former.

Subcla´vian, a. Beneath the clavicle.

Subfam´ily, n. A group between a family and a genus.

Subge´nus, n. A group between a genus and a species. (Often used; of extremely indefinite value.)

Submax´illary, a. or n. Under the jaw. Also, equivalent to inferior maxillary or mandible.

Subscap´ular, a. or n. Under the shoulder-blade; name of a muscle.

Subtyp´ical, a. Not quite true to the type; deviating somewhat; slightly aberrant. It expresses a condition between typical and aberrant.

Sub´ulate, a. Awl-shaped.

Suffra´go, n. The tibio-tarsal joint; the heel-joint. (103.)

Suffu´sion, n. A “running” shade of color.

Sul´cate, a. Grooved or channelled.

Sul´cus, n. A groove or channel.

Su´per- (in composition). Over; above; beyond; more than. The opposite qualification of sub-.

Supercil´iary, a. Pertaining to region of eyebrow, as a streak of color over the eye.

Supercil´ium, n. Eyebrow. (43.)

Super-fam´ily, n. A group containing one or more families, yet not of ordinal rank.

Superfic´ies, n. The exterior in general.

Supe´rior, a. Lying over, above, or uppermost.

Superoccip´ital, a. for n. The superior element of the occipital bone.

Super-or´der, n. A group containing one or more orders, yet not of the taxonomic rank of a class. (N. B. Super-genus is a word not yet used.)

Supina´tor, n. Name of a muscle that effects, or tends to effect, the reverse movement of pronation (which see).

Supra- (in composition). Same as super-.

Supracil´iary, a. See Supraorbital.

Supra-occip´ital, a. for n. Superior element of the occipital bone.

Supraor´bital, a. Situate over the orbit.

Supra-renal (body), a. for n. See Adrenal.

Suran´gular, a. Name of a certain element of the mandible.

Sur´sum. Over; above.

Su´ture, n. A kind of immovable articulation.

Sym´bol, n. See Sign.

Sympathetic System (of nerves). That portion of the nervous system not belonging to the cerebro-spinal axis.

Sym´physis, n. A growing together; as, symphysis pubis, symphysis menti.

Synarthro´sis, n. Same as suture.

Synchondro´sis, n. Cartilaginous union or articulation.

Syndac´tyle or Syndac´tylous, a. Having two toes immovably coherent for a considerable distance.

Syngne´sious (foot), a. Same as syndactyle foot.

Syn´onym, n.; pl. syn´onyms or synon´yma. A different word of the same or similar meaning. Archæopteryx macrurus, Owen, is a synonym of Arch. lithographica, Meyer. Synonym is the converse of homonym, which is the same word, of different meanings. Thus, Sylvicola, Swainson, a bird, is a homonym of Sylvicola, Humphreys, a mollusk. (Also written synonyme.)

Synon´ymous, a. Expressing the same meaning in different terms. (Synonymical is also written, but rarely.) (Also written synonomous.)

Synon´ymy, n. A collection of synonyms. In this sense, synonymy is a burden and a disgrace to ornithology. Also, in the abstract, expression of the same meaning by different words. (Also written synonomy.)

Syno´via, n. The peculiar glairy fluid which lubricates joints. So, synovial fluid; synovial membrane.

Syn´thesis, n. Act of putting together this and that fact or observation, whence to deduce a generalization; opposed to analysis. Also, merely composition.

Syringe´al, a. Pertaining to the lower larynx.

Sy´rinx, n. The lower larynx, situate at the bottom of the trachea, at the fork of the bronchi. The vocal organ of birds.

Sys´tole, n. Contraction of the heart, urging on the blood. Opposed to diastole (which see).

T

Tac´tile, a. Pertaining to the sense of touch.

Tail, n. (69.) See Cauda.

Tail-cov´erts, n. pl. (71.) See Calypteria.

Tail-feathers, n. pl. (70.) See Rectrices.

Ta´lus, n. Same as Calcaneus (which see).

Tar´sal, a. Relating to the tarsus, or tarso-metatarsus.

Tar´so-metatar´sus, n. The morphologically correct term for the segment, commonly called the tarsus in descriptive ornithology,—that bone reaching from the tibia to the toes, and which is really nearly all metatarsus, but has at its top one of the small tarsal bones confluent with it, so that in itself it comprehends part of tarsus as well as all of metatarsus.

Tar´sus, n. The ankle-bones, collectively. In birds, there are no persistently separate tarsal bones, since the two proximal ones are confluent with the extremity of the tibia, forming its so-called malleoli, and the distal one anchyloses with the metatarsus, leaving the tarsal joint between them, as in reptiles, not between the tarsal bones and the tibia, as in mammalia. But, in descriptive ornithology, the whole segment between the tibia and the toes, commonly called the shank, is usually called tarsus. See, also, Tarso-metatarsus and Metatarsus. (103½.) (N. B. In the foregoing “Explanation,” etc., the word tarsus is defined as used in descriptions, not in its morphologically correct sense.)

Tar´sus, Back of. (106.) See Planta Tarsi.

Tar´sus, Booted. (111.) See Boot.

Taxider´my, a. Art of preparing and preserving skins so as to represent the appearance of the living animal.

Taxonom´ic, a. Classificatory.

Taxon´omy, n. Classification; rational arrangement according to some scientific principle. Biotaxy.

Tec´trices, n. pl. Coverts; the smaller feathers, either of wing or tail, but especially of the former; tail-coverts being calypteria. (72, 73, 83.)

Tec´trices Alæ, n. pl. Wing-coverts.

Tec´trices Caudæ, n. pl. Tail-coverts.

Tec´trices Inferio´res, n. pl. Under coverts. (73.)

Tec´trices Perver´sæ, n. pl. Median upper wing-coverts, of the secondary set.

Tec´trices Superio´res, n. pl. Upper coverts. (72.)

Teg´mina, n. pl. Same as tectrices.

Teg´ument, n. Same as integument.

Teleolog´ical, a. Relating to teleology.

Teleol´ogy, n. Doctrine of final causes; science of adaptation of means to ends.

Tem´ples, n. pl. (44.) See Tempora.

Tem´pora, n. pl. Temples; portion of sides of head between eyes and ears. (Scarcely used.)

Ten´do or Ten´don, n. Fibrous cord or band of attachment of muscle to bone or other parts; a “leader.” Tendo achillis, hamstring.

Tenuiros´tral, a. Slender-billed.

Teratol´ogy, n. Science of monsters.

Te´res or Te´rete, a. Cylindrical and tapering; fusiform. Also, name of a muscle.

Ter´gum, n. Lower back, between interscapilium and uropygium. (Not well distinguished, and little used.) (59.)

Ter´minal, a. At the end.

Terminolog´ical, a. Relating to terminology.

Terminol´ogy, n. Science of calling things by their right names according to some determined principle. Nomenclature.

Ter´tials, Ter´tiaries, n. pl. Large inner quills of wing growing from humerus or elbow. The two or three longer inner true secondaries (which see) are often incorrectly called tertials, especially when distinguished by size, shape or color from the rest of the secondaries. (76.)

Tes´tis, n.; pl. testes. Testicles; male organs secreting spermatozoa.

Tetradac´tyle, a. Four-toed.

Thal´amus, n. A certain tract of the brain.

The´ca, n. Sheath.

The´nar, a. Palmar; plantar.

The´ory, n. Scientific speculation. Philosophical explanation. Result of inference from established principles.

Thermog´enous, a. Heat-producing, as all vital processes are.

Thigh, n. Segment of leg between hip and knee. (97.)

Thorac´ic, a. Pertaining to the chest.

Tho´rax, n. The chest; segment of the body enclosed by ribs, sternum, and certain vertebræ, containing heart and lungs.

Throat, n. See Gula. (52.)

Thumb, n. In birds, the so-called thumb, upon which the alula, or bastard wing, grows, is homologically the index-finger. Penguins lack this segment.

Thyrohy´al, n. An element of the hyoid bone.

Thy´roid, a. Shield-shaped. Name of principal laryngeal cartilage.

Thy´roid Car´tilage. One of those forming the larynx.

Tib´ia, n. Principal and inner bone of leg between knee and heel; the shin-bone.

Tib´ial, a. Pertaining to the tibia.

Toe, Toes, n. (116.)

Tomium, n.; pl. tomia. The cutting edge of the bill. There is a superior or maxillary tomium, and an inferior or mandibular tomium; each is double (i.e. right and left); together they are the tomia, mutually apposed when the mouth is shut.

Top of Toes. (117.) See Acrodactylum.

Tor´quate, a. Ringed; collared.

Tor´ques, n. Ring or collar of color or of feathers otherwise distinguished. Lewis’s woodpecker has a cervical torques both in color and texture of the feathers.

Totipal´mate, a. Having all four toes webbed. Same as steganopodous.

Trach´ea, n. Windpipe.

Transverse´, a. Crosswise; in direction at right angle with longitudinal axis of the body.

Tread (of the cock), n. Cicatriculum; molecule. See Yolk.

Tri- (in composition). Thrice; treble.

Tri´ceps, n. A certain extensor muscle of wing and leg.

Tridac´tyle, a. Three-toed.

Trigem´imus, a. for n. A certain cranial nerve.

Trihe´dral, a. Three-sided.

Triv´ial, a. Said of a specific name. Opposed to generic.

Trochan´ter, n. Prominence at top of femur.

Troch´lea, n. A pulley; smooth bony surface over which a tendon plays.

Trun´cate, a. Cut squarely off.

Trun´cus, n. Trunk; body without its members. (56.)

Tuber´culum, n. Tubercle; a little lump or elevation.

Tu´nic, n. Enveloping membrane of various organs.

Tu´nica Albugin´ea, n. Dense whitish membranous investment of the testicles.

Tur´binal, a. Scroll-like; name of certain bones of nasal passages.

Tylar´i, n. pl. Pads under the toes. (123.)

Tym´panic (bone), a. for n. Same as Os Quadratum (which see).

Tym´panum, n. Ear-drum. Also, the naked inflatable air-sacs on the sides of the neck of grouse, an enlargement of the ordinary cervical reservoirs of air which communicate with the bronchi.

Type, n. Way; plan; mode. Also, sign or symbol. The type, or typical form, of a group is that which exhibits a given set of characters most perfectly. But the type of a genus is usually the species, if any, from which the generic characters were especially drawn up, without reference to such qualification; while, furthermore, the type of a species, in current acceptation, is merely the specimen from which the species was originally described, even though it may very inadequately represent such species.

Typ´ical, a. Of most usual structure; adhering strictly to a given plan of structure. (But compare Type.)

U

Ul´na, n. Inner or posterior bone of forearm.

Ul´nar, a. Pertaining to the ulna.

Umbil´ical, a. Relating to the umbilicus.

Umbil´icate, a. Pitted, as if with an umbilicus.

Umbili´cus, n. Navel. Pitted scar, indicating point of entrance of placental vessels into the fœtus. Also, any similar pit or depression, as that on the scape of a feather at junction of rhachis and calamus.

Unarmed Toe. Toe bearing no claw. See Digitus Muticus. (133.)

Un´ciform, a. Hooked.

Under Jaw. See Mandibulum.

Under Parts. See Gastræum.

Under Tail-coverts. (13.) See Crissum.

Under Wing-coverts. (84.) See Tectrices.

Undula´tion, n. Wavy color-marks.

Unguic´ulate, a. Clawed.

Unguis, n.; pl. ungues. Claw.

Unip´arous, a. Producing but one young. Same as monotokous.

Upper Back. (58.) See Interscapilium.

Upper Jaw. (10.) See Maxilla.

Upper Parts. (5.) See Notæum.

Upper Tail-coverts. (72.) See Calypteria.

Upper Wing-coverts. (84.) See Tectrices.

Uræ´um, n. Hinder half of a bird. (8.) (Little used.)

Ure´a, n. A certain component of urine.

Ure´ter, n. Tube conveying urine from kidney to cloaca.

Ure´thra, n. Groove in penis for direction of the discharge.

U´rinary Bladder, n. A certain compartment of the cloaca, in some birds, is so named.

U´rine, n. Liquid excretion of the kidneys, in birds voided more or less mixed with the fæces.

Uro-gen´ital or Gen´ito-u´rinary, a. Said of organs common to the two offices implied in the words, or of such organs regarded as associate parts.

Urohy´al, n. Median backward process of the hyoid bone.

Uropyg´ium, n. Rump. (60.)

U´terus, n. Womb. Wanting in birds; but a lower tract of the oviduct where the eggshell is formed has been loosely so called.

V

Vacu´ity, n. Deficiency in a part; as, a vacuity in the bony palate.

Vagi´na, n. Any sheath, in general. Particularly, the female sexual passage. In birds the lowermost tract of the oviduct is sometimes loosely so called.

Vane, n. (151.) See Vexillum.

Variety, n. A nascent species. Practically, the term designates a set of objects incompletely distinguished from others of the same species, by reason of slightness of the difference, or presence of connecting links.

Vas´cular, a. Permeated with blood vessels. Also equivalent to circulatory; as, the vascular system.

Vas Def´erens, n. Tube conveying semen from testes to cloaca.

Vas´tus, a. for n. A certain muscle of the thigh.

Vein, n. Vessel conveying blood from the capillaries to the heart. Artery carries blood from the heart.

Ve´næ Ca´væ, n. pl. Large veins pouring blood from the system into the heart.

Ve´nous, a. Pertaining to a vein; as, venous blood, the venous system.

Ven´ter, n. Lower belly. (Not well distinguished from abdomen, and little used.) (65.)

Ven´trad, a. Towards the belly.

Ven´tral, a. Pertaining to the belly.

Ven´tricle, n. Chamber of the heart, right or left, whence issue the pulmonary arteries and the aorta. Compare Auricle. Also, a cavity of the cerebrum.

Ven´tricous, a. Swollen; bulbous.

Ventric´ulus Bulbo´sus, n. Same as gigerium.

Ventric´ulus Succenturia´tus, n. Same as proventriculus.

Vermicula´tion, n. Very fine crosswise marking.

Ver´miform, a. Shaped like a worm; as, a woodpecker’s tongue. Lumbriciform is the same.

Ver´nal, a. Relating to the spring.

Verru´cous, a. Warty.

Ver´satile, n. Reversible; susceptible of turning either way.

Vertebra, n.; pl. vertebræ. Any bone of the spine; any one of the backbones.

Ver´tebral, a. Pertaining to the backbone.

Vertebrarte´rial (canal), a. for n. Passage for an artery through several cervical vertebræ.

Ver´tebrate, a. Having a backbone; also, used substantively for an animal with a backbone.

Ver´tex, n. Crown; highest central portion of pileus.

Vescic´ula Semina´lis, n. A structure, imperfect or wanting in birds, for storage of semen.

Vesti´tus, a. or n. Clothed, i.e. feathered. Clothing, i.e. plumage; as, vestitus nuptialis, breeding plumage.

Vexil´lum, n. Rhachis and web of a feather taken together; all of a feather excepting calamus.

Vibris´sa, n.; pl. vibrissæ. Bristly or bristle-tipped feather about the mouth of a bird.

Vic´tus, n. Food; diet.

Vil´li, n. pl. Soft papulous projections of membrane.

Vis´ceral, a. Pertaining to the viscera.

Vis´cus, n.; pl. viscera. Any interior organ of the body, but especially of the digestive system. The stomach is a viscus; the intestines are viscera.

Vi´sus, n. Vision; eyesight.

Vi´telline, a. Pertaining to the vitellus.

Vi´telline Mem´brane, n. An envelope of the vitellus.

Vitel´lus, n. Yolk (which see).

Vit´reous, a. Glassy; said of the humor in the back chamber of the eye.

Vit´ta, n. Broad band of color.

Vo´mer, n. A bone of the skull, lying at the base, in the median line, in advance of the sphenoid. Also, the peculiarly shaped and enlarged last bone of the tail, or pygostyle.

W

Washed, a. As if overlaid with a thin layer of different color.

Wat´tle, n. A naked, fleshy, and usually wrinkled and highly colored skin hanging from the chin or throat, as in the cock and turkey.

Web, n. The vane of a feather, on either side of the rhachis.

Wedge-shaped, a. See Cuneate.

Whis´kered, a. Having lengthened or bristly feathers on the cheeks.

Wing, n. (73.) See Ala.

Wing, Bend of. (77.) See Flexura.

Wing-coverts, n. pl. (83.) See Tectrices.

Wolff´ian Bodies, n. Certain organs of the embryo associated with the uro-genitals.

X

Xi´phoid, a. or n. Sword-shaped. Posterior prolongation of the sternum.

Y

Yolk or Yelk, n. “Yellow” of an egg; a soft, opaque, yellow globular mass, enveloped in a proper membrane (the vitelline) and suspended in the white by the chalazæ. It has a central cavity full of a clear substance, furnished with a duct leading to a mass of cells termed proligerous disc; adhering to its surface is the cicatriculum, or “tread,” which becomes the embryo.

Z

Zo´na Pellu´cida, n. Consolidated membranous envelope of the primitive ovum.

Zoölogy, n. Natural history of animals, of which ornithology is one department.

Zygapoph´ysis, a. Articular process of a vertebra.

Zygodac´tyle, a. Yoke-toed; having the toes in pairs, two before and two behind.

Zygo´ma, n. Malar bone and its connections.

Zygomat´ic, a. Pertaining to the malar bone.

1

The whole of the systematic portion of the article on the Raptores, has been prepared by Mr. Ridgway; the biographies, however, are furnished by Dr. Brewer, as usual. The outlines of the skulls and sterna of the Strigidæ, the skulls, sterna, and heads of the Cathartidæ, and the generic outlines of the Falconidæ and Cathartidæ, were drawn by Mr. Ridgway.—S. F. Baird.

2

By Thomas H. Huxley, F. R. S., V. P. Z. S.; Proceedings of the Zoölogical Society of London, 1867, pp. 415–473.

3

By Charles Ludwig Nitzsch. English edition, translated from the German by Dr. Philip Lutley Sclater, and published by the Ray Society of London, 1867.