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"Lophortyx gambeli. Gambel's Partridge. Arizona Quail. Male: Without white loral line; forehead black with whitish lines; occiput chestnut; nuchal and cervical feathers with dark shaft lines, but few dark edgings or none, and no white specking. General color of upper parts clear ash, the edging of the inner quills white. Fore-breast like the back; other under parts whitish, the middle of the belly with a large jet-black patch; sides rich purplish-chestnut, with sharp white stripes; vent, flanks and crissum white with dusky streaks. Bill black, iris brown. Besides lacking the definite head-markings, the female wants the black abdominal area, where the feathers are whitish with dark lengthwise touches; crest dark brown, not recurved, and fewer-feathered than that of a cock. Top of had grayish-brown, nearly uniform from bill to nape; throat grayish-white with slight dark pencilling." Elliot Coues, 1884

Gambel's Partridge

"Lophortyx gambeli. Gambel's Partridge. Arizona Quail. Male: Without white loral line; forehead black…

"Right pectoral arch of a bird. s, scapula; c, coracoid; gl, glenoid, the cavity for head of humerus; cl, clavicle; hc, hypecleidium. In situ, the right end of the figure should tilt up a little. The pectoral arch is that bony structure by which the wings are borne upon the axial skeleton. It is to the fore limb what the pelvic arch is to the hind limb; but is disconnected from the back-bone and united with the breastbone, whereas the reverse arrangement obtains in the pelvic, which is fused with the sacral region of the spine. Each pectoral arch of birds consists (chiefly) of three bones: the scapula and coracoid, forming the shoulder-girdle proper, or scapular arch; and the accessory clavicles, or right and left half of the clavicular arch." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Right Pectoral Arch of a Bird

"Right pectoral arch of a bird. s, scapula; c, coracoid; gl, glenoid, the cavity for head of humerus;…

"North American White Pelican. Bill several times as long as the head, comparatively slender, but strong, straight, broad, flattened, grooved throughout, ending with a distinct claw-like hook. Mandibular rami joining only at their apex; the long broad interramal space, and the throat, occupied by an enormous membranous sac. Nostrils abortive." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Bill of a North American White Pelican

"North American White Pelican. Bill several times as long as the head, comparatively slender, but strong,…

"Cymochorea melaena. Black Petrel. Form of the last very nearly; bill more robust; tarsus a little longer than middle toe and claw. No white anywhere. Plumage sooty brownish-black, darkest above and on head, more smoky-brown on under parts, grayer on wing-coverts, quite black on wing- and tail-feathers; bill and feet black; iris brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Black Petrel

"Cymochorea melaena. Black Petrel. Form of the last very nearly; bill more robust; tarsus a little longer…

"Cymochorea leucorrhoa. Leach's Petrel. White-rumped Petrel. Coloration as in the last species (pygmy petrel), with white upper tail-coverts, forming a conspicuous mark; but apt to be lighter - rather of a grayish or even ashy hue on some parts; but easily recognized, whatever the shade of color. Bill and feet black; iris brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Leach's Petrel

"Cymochorea leucorrhoa. Leach's Petrel. White-rumped Petrel. Coloration as in the last species (pygmy…

"Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. Olivaceous-brown, rather darker on head; with sides washed with a paler shade of the same, reaching nearly or quite across the breast; throat and belly whitish, more or less tinged with dull yellowish; under tail-coverts the same, usually streaked with dusky; tail and wings blackish, the former unmarked, the inner wing-quills edged, and the greater and middle coverts tipped, with whitish; feet and upper mandible black, under mandible usually yellow, sometimes dusky; iris brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Wood Pewee

"Contopus virens. Wood Pewee. Olivaceous-brown, rather darker on head; with sides washed with a paler…

"Steganopus wilsoni. Wilson's Phalarope. Bill and feet black. Crown of head pale ash, passing into white along a narrow stripe in the nape. A narrow, distinct, pure white line over the eye. Sides of neck intense purplish-chestnut, or dark wine-red; anteriorly deepening upon the auriculars into velvety-black; posteriorly continued, somewhat duller in tint, as a stripe along each side of the back to the tips of the scapulars. Other upper parts pearly-ash, blanching on the rump and upper tail-coverts. Wings pale grayish-brown; coverts slightly white-tipped; primaries dusky-brown, their shafts brownish-white, except at tip. Tail marbled with pearly-gray and white. All the under parts pure white, but the fore part and sides of the breast washed with pale chestnut-brown, as if with a weak solution of the rich color on the neck, and a faint tinge of the same along the sides of the body to the flanks. Bill and feet black. Iris brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Wilson's Phalarope

"Steganopus wilsoni. Wilson's Phalarope. Bill and feet black. Crown of head pale ash, passing into white…

"Fig. 19 - A partly pennaceous, partly plumulaceous feather, from Argus pheasant; after Nitzsch. ad, main stem; d, calamus; a, rhachis; c, c, c, vanes, cut away on left side in order not to interfere with b, the after-shaft, the whole of the right vane of which is likewise cut away." Elliot Coues, 1884

Feather from a Argus Pheasant

"Fig. 19 - A partly pennaceous, partly plumulaceous feather, from Argus pheasant; after Nitzsch. ad,…

English Pheasant. Common Pheasant. Phasianus colchicus. Adult plumage: Maroon breast, orangey flanks, white ring round neck; tail brown with dark brownish barring, rump gray; green iridescent head with lighter tufts and a bare red face

English Pheasant

English Pheasant. Common Pheasant. Phasianus colchicus. Adult plumage: Maroon breast, orangey flanks,…

"Ectopistes migratorius. Passenger Pigeon. Wild Pigeon Adult: Upper parts, including head all around, slaty-blue, bright and pure on head and rump, shaded with olivaceous-gray on the back and wings; the back and sides of the neck glittering with golden and violet iridescence, the wing-coverts with velvety-clack spots. Below, from the throat, light purplish-chestnut, paler behind and fading into white on the lower belly and crissum. Tibiae, sides of body, and lining of wings like upper parts. Quills blackish, with rufous-white edging. Two middle tail-feathers blackish; others fading from pearly-bluish into white, their extreme bases with black and chestnut spots. Bill black; feet lake red, drying and undefinable color; iris orange; skin about eye red." Elliot Coues, 1884

Passenger Pigeon

"Ectopistes migratorius. Passenger Pigeon. Wild Pigeon Adult: Upper parts, including head all around,…

"Meadow Pipit or Anthus pratensis. Upper parts greenish-brown distinctly marked with blackish-brown centres of the feathers; wing-quills and coverts clove-brown, edged with greenish-gray. Tail-feathers dark brown, edged with the greenish shade of the back, the outer one obliquely white for nearly half its length, and others with white at the end. Cheeks olivaceous, speckled with dusky. Under parts brownish-white with a tinge of green, marked on the breast and sides with brownish-black streaks running forward as a maxillary chain; chin, belly, and under tail-coverts unmarked. Bill dusky above and at end, the rest livid flesh-color; feet obscure flesh-color; iris blackish." Elliot Coues, 1884

Meadow Pipit

"Meadow Pipit or Anthus pratensis. Upper parts greenish-brown distinctly marked with blackish-brown…

"Squatarola. Four-toed Plover. A small but distinct hind toe, contrary to the rule in this family. Tail less than half as long as wing. Tarsus much longer than middle toe and claw. Tibia bare below, reticulate like the tarsus. Basal web between outer and middle toes. Upper plumage speckled, lower black or white; no rings or bars of color about head or neck. Legs dark-colored. Tail fully barred. Seasonal changes of plumage very; sexes alike." Elliot Coues, 1884

Four-toed Plover Bill and Hind Toe

"Squatarola. Four-toed Plover. A small but distinct hind toe, contrary to the rule in this family. Tail…

"Charadrius dominicus. American Golden Plover. Field Plover. Bull-head Plover. Upper parts black, everywhere speckled with golden-yellow, and mostly also white, the brighter color in excess. The markings of individual feathers are a tipping and one or several paired scollops. Hind neck less strongly marked than crown or back. Forehead, and long stripe over eye snowy-white. Region immediately around bill, sides of head to include eyes, and entire under parts, glossy brownish-black. Lining of wings, and axillars, sooty-gray or ashy. Tail dusky grayish-brown, with numerous irregular pale gray bars, and reddish-brown shafts; upper tail-coverts and rump like back. Primaries fuscous, blackening at tips and whitening at bases of inner webs, though without definite white spaces; shafts white for space. Secondaries and many of the coverts, like the primaries, plain fuscous, without the golden and white fretwork of the back. Bill and feet black." Elliot Coues, 1884

American Golden Plover

"Charadrius dominicus. American Golden Plover. Field Plover. Bull-head Plover. Upper parts black, everywhere…

"Squatarola helvetica. Swiss Plover. Black-bellied Plover. Bull-head Plover. Whistling Field Plover. Ox-eye. Upper parts fretted with blackish and ashy-white, the feathers being basally, then black, tipped and usually scalloped with white. Upper tail-coverts mostly white, with few dark touches. Fore-head, line over eye and thence more broadly over side of neck, the lining of wings, tibiae, vent and under tail-coverts, white. Sides of head to an extent embracing the eyes, axillary plumes, and entire under parts (except as said), black. Tail closely barred with black and white. Primaries dark brown, blackening at tips, with large basal areas and a portion of their shafts, white. Bill and feet black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Black-bellied Plover

"Squatarola helvetica. Swiss Plover. Black-bellied Plover. Bull-head Plover. Whistling Field Plover.…

"Aegialites vociferus. Kildeer Plover. Above, grayish-brown, with an olive shade, and in high plumage a slight bronzy lustre. Rump and upper tail-coverts bright-colored, very variable in tint, from tawny or orange-brown to cinnamon-brown or chestnut. Forehead with a white band from eye to eye, more or less prolonged as a superciliary streak, and a black band above it. A white collar around hind neck, continuous with white of the throat. A black collar around back of neck, continuous with a black pectoral band. Back of the latter a black pectoral belt. Thus the fore-parts are encircled with one complete black ring, behind which is a black half-ring on breast, before which is a complete white ring. A white stripe over and behind eye; a dusky stripe below eye. Under parts entirely pure white, except the two pectoral belts. Primary quills blackish; a white space on the outer webs of the most of them, forming an oblique series, and a longer white space on their inner webs. Secondaries mostly white, but with black areas in increasing size from within outward. Long inner secondaries, or tertiaries, like the back. Tail-feathers singularly variegated; several inner pairs like the back, insensibly blackening towards ends, then lightning again, and usually with rusty tips; lateral ones gaining more and more of the bright color of the rump, with more definite black subterminal bars, and pure white tips; outermost pair mostly white, with the rufous shade, and several broken black bars. The effect of all this variegation is very striking when the pairs are displayed in flight. Bill black; eye black, with a bright ring around it; legs pale." Eliot Coues, 1884

Kildeer Plover

"Aegialites vociferus. Kildeer Plover. Above, grayish-brown, with an olive shade, and in high plumage…

"Lagopus albus. Willow Grouse. Willow Ptarmigan. Bill very stout and convex, its depth at base as the distance from nasal fossa to tip; whole culmen 0.75; bill black at all seasons. Male in summer: The head and fore parts rich chestnut or orange-brown, more tawny-brown on back and rump; the richer brown parts sparsely, the tawny-brown more closely, barred with black; most of the wings and under parts remaining white. Female similar, wholly colored excepting the wings, the color more tawny than in the male, and more heavily, closely, and uniformly barred with black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Willow Ptarmigan in Summer

"Lagopus albus. Willow Grouse. Willow Ptarmigan. Bill very stout and convex, its depth at base as the…

"Lagopus albus. Willow Grouse. Willow Ptarmigan. Bill very stout and convex, its depth at base as the distance from nasal fossa to tip; whole culmen 0.75; bill black at all seasons. Male and female in winter: Snow white; 14 tail feathers black, white-tipped; the middle pair (which most resemble and perhaps are true rectrices, having no after-shafts) together with all the coverts, one pair of which reach to end of tail, white; shafts of several outer wing-quills black; no black stripe on head." Elliot Coues, 1884

Willow Ptarmigan in Winter

"Lagopus albus. Willow Grouse. Willow Ptarmigan. Bill very stout and convex, its depth at base as the…

"Lagopus leucurus. White-tailed Ptarmigan. Rocky Mountain Snow Grouse. Male and Female in winter: Entirely snow-white; bill black, rather slender, and general size and proportions nearly as in L. rupestris. Male and female, in summer: Tail, most of the wing, and lower parts from the breast, remaining white; rest of the plumage minutely marked with black, white, and tawny or grayish-brown, varying in precise character almost with every specimen; but there is no difficulty in recognizing this whit-tailed species, of alpine distribution in Western N. A. from the Arctic regions to New Mexico (lat. 37 degrees)." Elliot Coues, 1884

White-tailed Ptarmigan

"Lagopus leucurus. White-tailed Ptarmigan. Rocky Mountain Snow Grouse. Male and Female in winter: Entirely…

"Fratercula arctica. Common Puffin. Sea Parrot. Crown of head grayish-black, sharply defined against color of sides of head, separated by a slight ashy cervical collar from the dark color of the upper parts. Sides of head, with chin and throat, ashy-white nearly white between eyes and bill, with a dark ashy patch on side of throat. Upper parts glossy blue-black, continuous with a broad collar around the neck in front, not extending to the bill. A narrow line of white along border of fore-arm. Under parts from the neck pure white, the long feathers of the sides and flanks blackish. Under surface of wings pearly-gray; inner webs of primaries and secondaries grayish-brown, the shafts brown, with black ends and whitish bases. Iris brown. Eyelids vermilion-red, the excrescences grayish-blue. Basal collar of bill and first ridge dull yellowish; nasal saddle and corresponding shoe of lower mandible grayish-blue; rest of bill vermilion-red, the tip of the lower mandible and two terminal grooves often yellowish; rosette of mouth orange-yellow; feet coral or vermilion-red; claws black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Puffin

"Fratercula arctica. Common Puffin. Sea Parrot. Crown of head grayish-black, sharply defined against…

"Lunda cirrata. Tufted Puffin. Crests about 4 inches long, straw-yellow, some of the posterior feathers black at base; these bundles of silky, glossy feathers with very delicate shafts and loosened webs; they chiefly sprout from what corresponds to the furrow in the plumage of F. artica. Face white, broadly of this color on sides of head to beyond eyes (as far as the crests), narrowly across forehead and chin, the bill being thus entirely surrounded by white. Crown between the crests, and entire upper parts, excepting the extreme forehead and a line along the forearm, glossy blue-black. Entire under parts, excepting extreme chin, and including sides of hind head and sides of neck, sooty brownish-black, more grayish on the belly, the lining of wings smoky-gray, the under tail-coverts quite black. Wings and tail black, their inner webs brownish-black, the shaft of the primary whitish underneath near base. Bill, feet, and eye-ring vermilion-red; the basil parts of the bill when about to desquamate showing more yellowish or enamel color, or even showing the living color of the subjacent membrane. Rosette of mouth yellow. Claws black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Tufted Puffin Bill

"Lunda cirrata. Tufted Puffin. Crests about 4 inches long, straw-yellow, some of the posterior feathers…

"Fratercula corniculata Horned Masking Puffin. Crown of head grayish-black, narrowing to a point at base of culmen. Sindes of head white; the postocular furrow and sides of lower jaw ashy. A distinct narrow line of white along edge of fore-arm. Entire upper parts glossy blue-black; a sootier shade of black encircling the fore-neck, running forward on throat to bill. Other under parts white, except a few elongated blackish feathers on sides of flanks. Lining of wings pearly-ash. Bill entirely vermilion-red, even the basal collar; edges of eyelids red; excrescences of eyelids bluish-gray; iris brown; feet orange-red, the webs tinged with vermilion; claws brownish-black; rosette of mouth bright yellow-orange. Lunda cirrata. Tufted Puffin. Crests about 4 inches long, straw-yellow, some of the posterior feathers black at base; these bundles of silky, glossy feathers with very delicate shafts and loosened webs; they chiefly sprout from what corresponds to the furrow in the plumage of F. artica. Face white, broadly of this color on sides of head to beyond eyes (as far as the crests), narrowly across forehead and chin, the bill being thus entirely surrounded by white. Crown between the crests, and entire upper parts, excepting the extreme forehead and a line along the forearm, glossy blue-black. Entire under parts, excepting extreme chin, and including sides of hind head and sides of neck, sooty brownish-black, more grayish on the belly, the lining of wings smoky-gray, the under tail-coverts quite black. Wings and tail black, their inner webs brownish-black, the shaft of the primary whitish underneath near base. Bill, feet, and eye-ring vermilion-red; the basil parts of the bill when about to desquamate showing more yellowish or enamel color, or even showing the living color of the subjacent membrane. Rosette of mouth yellow. Claws black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Horned and Tufted Puffins

"Fratercula corniculata Horned Masking Puffin. Crown of head grayish-black, narrowing to a point at…

"Ortyx. Quail. Outstretched feet reaching beyond end of tail. Bill black or blackish-brown. " Elliot Coues, 1884

Quail Foot and Bill

"Ortyx. Quail. Outstretched feet reaching beyond end of tail. Bill black or blackish-brown. " Elliot…

"Coturnix dactylisonans. Messina Quail. Migratory Quail. Common Quail of Europe. Upper parts variegated with buff or whitish and black upon a mixed reddish-brown and gray ground, the most conspicuous markings being sharp lance-lineal lengthwise stripes of buff or whitish over most of the upper parts, these dashes mostly edged with black; other less prominent buff or whitish cross-bars, several to a feather, likewise framed in black. Crown mixed brown and black, with sharp median and lateral buff stripes. Throat white, bounded before by a dark bar curving down behind the auriculars; behind, by a necklace of ruddy-brown, blackish, or whitish spots; chin varied with dark marks n advance of the auricular bar. Under parts fading to whitish from the buff or pale yellowish-brown breast, without any dark crossbars, but the long feathers of the sides and flanks with large and conspicuous white shaft-stripes and otherwise variegated with black, brown, and buff. Primaries fuscous, spotted with light brown on outer webs; secondaries similar, but the markings becoming bars on both webs. Tail-feathers brownish-black, much varied with shaft-lines, cross-bars, and edgings of buff; crissum immaculate, like the abdomen. Bill dark; feet pale; iris dark brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Common Quail of Europe

"Coturnix dactylisonans. Messina Quail. Migratory Quail. Common Quail of Europe. Upper parts variegated…

"Cyrtonyx massena. Massena Partridge. Male: Upper parts intimately waved with black and reddish-brown and tawny-brown, and marked with sharp buff or whitish shaft-lines; on the wings the irregular black variegation changing to black bars and round spots, in regular paired series on each feather. Outer quills fuscous, their outer webs spotted with white or buff. Under parts crowded with innumerable round white spots on a dark ground, several pairs on each feather; the middle line of the breast and belly mahogany-colored, the flanks, vent, and crissum velvety-black. Top of head black in front, with slight white touches, changing on the crest to brown. Sides of the head and throat fantastically striped with black and white; a broad black throat-patch; another on the cheeks, across lored alongside of crown; a third on the ear-coverts; a fourth bordering the white all around behind." Elliot Coues, 1884

Massena Quail

"Cyrtonyx massena. Massena Partridge. Male: Upper parts intimately waved with black and reddish-brown…

"Orortyx picta. Plumed Partridge. Mountain Quail. Back, wings and tail olive-brown, the inner secondaries and tertiaries bordered with whitish or tawny, forming a lengthwise border in single line when the wings are folded; the primaries fuscous, the tail-feathers fuscous, minutely marbled with the color of the back. Fore-parts, above and below, slaty-blue (above more or less glossed with olive shade of the back, below minutely marbled with black); the throat chestnut, immediately bordered laterally with black, then framed in the firm white line, broken through the eye, reappearing around base of under mandible. Extreme forehead whitish, The arrow-plumes black. Belly chestnut, the sides banded with broad bars of black and white, or rufous-white; middle of the lower belly, tibia, and flanks, whitish or rufous; crissum velvety-black, streaked with chestnut. Bill dusky, paler below; feet brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Mountain Quail

"Orortyx picta. Plumed Partridge. Mountain Quail. Back, wings and tail olive-brown, the inner secondaries…

"Porzana carolina. Carolina Crake. Common Rail. "ortolan." Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with numerous sharp white streaks and specks; flanks, axilars and lining of wings, barred with white and blackish; belly whitish; crissum rufescent. Face and central line of throat black, the rest of the throat, line over eye, and especially the breast, more or less intensely slate-gray, the sides of the breast usually also with some obsolete whitish barring and speckling." Elliot Coues, 1884

Carolina Rail

"Porzana carolina. Carolina Crake. Common Rail. "ortolan." Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with…

"Rallus longirostris crepitans. Clapper Rail. Salt-water Marsh-hen. Mud-hen. Above, variegated with olive-brown and pale olive-ash, the latter edging the feathers, the variegation dull and blended. Below, pale dull ochrey-brown, whitening on the throat, frequently ashy-shaded on the breast, without decided cinnamon-brown shade. Flanks, axillars, and lining of wings, fuscous-gray, with sharp narrow white bars. Quills and tail plain dark-brown, without chestnut on the coverts. Eyelids and short superciliary line whitish. The general tone is that of a gray bird, without any reddishness." Elliot Coues, 1884

Clapper Rail

"Rallus longirostris crepitans. Clapper Rail. Salt-water Marsh-hen. Mud-hen. Above, variegated with…

"Porzana carolina. Carolina Crake. Common Rail. "ortolan." Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with numerous sharp white streaks and specks; flanks, axilars and lining of wings, barred with white and blackish; belly whitish; crissum rufescent. Face and central line of throat black, the rest of the throat, line over eye, and especially the breast, more or less intensely slate-gray, the sides of the breast usually also with some obsolete whitish barring and speckling." Elliot Coues, 1884

Small Carolina Rail

"Porzana carolina. Carolina Crake. Common Rail. "ortolan." Above, olive-brown, varied with black, with…

"Aegithognathous skull of raven, Corvus corax, nat. size, from nature, by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, U.S.A. Letters as before. N.B. The reference line, V, goes to the ossified nasal septum borne upon the end of the vomer, which latter bone begins at the thickest part of the central projection. Mxp underlies V and overlies Pl, but touches neither." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Skull of a Raven

"Aegithognathous skull of raven, Corvus corax, nat. size, from nature, by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, U.S.A.…

"Trachea or windpipe of the red breasted merganser, Mergus serrator, about half natural size, viewed from above (behind); after Newton, A, tongue; B B, its attachments; C C; windpipe, dilated in the middle and swelling below into a bony box, D; E E, bronchial tubes, going to the lung" Elliot Coues, 1994

the Windpipe of a Male Red Breasted Merganser

"Trachea or windpipe of the red breasted merganser, Mergus serrator, about half natural size, viewed…

"Fuligula ferina americana. Red-head. American Pochard. The feathers of the head somewhat full and puffy, though forming no crest. Bill broad and flattened, a little widened toward end, running into the forehead which arches abruptly over and away from it, not rising gradually into line with forehead; shorter or not longer than head, 2 inches or less in length along culmen, the nostrils within its basal half; the forward end of nostril about 2/5 the way from upper corner to end of bill. Bill dull blue with a black belt at the end. Iris orange. Feet dull grayish-blue, with dusky webs and black claws. Head and neck all around rich pure chestnut, not obscured with dusky-brown, but with bronzy or coppery red reflections. Lower neck and fore parts of body above and below, with rump and tail-coverts above and below, blackish. Back mixed whitish and blackish in about equal amounts, the dark wavy lines distinct and unbroken. Sides of the body under the wings vermiculated much like the back, the undulations subsiding in the grayish-white of the middle under parts. Wing-coverts ashy-gray, minutely dotted with white; speculum hoary-ash, bordered internally with black; lining of wings mostly white. Female: Bill obscured bluish, with black belt near end; iris yellow." Elliot Coues, 1884

Large Redhead

"Fuligula ferina americana. Red-head. American Pochard. The feathers of the head somewhat full and puffy,…

"Fuligula ferina americana. Red-head. American Pochard. The feathers of the head somewhat full and puffy, though forming no crest. Bill broad and flattened, a little widened toward end, running into the forehead which arches abruptly over and away from it, not rising gradually into line with forehead; shorter or not longer than head, 2 inches or less in length along culmen, the nostrils within its basal half; the forward end of nostril about 2/5 the way from upper corner to end of bill. Bill dull blue with a black belt at the end. Iris orange. Feet dull grayish-blue, with dusky webs and black claws. Head and neck all around rich pure chestnut, not obscured with dusky-brown, but with bronzy or coppery red reflections. Lower neck and fore parts of body above and below, with rump and tail-coverts above and below, blackish. Back mixed whitish and blackish in about equal amounts, the dark wavy lines distinct and unbroken. Sides of the body under the wings vermiculated much like the back, the undulations subsiding in the grayish-white of the middle under parts. Wing-coverts ashy-gray, minutely dotted with white; speculum hoary-ash, bordered internally with black; lining of wings mostly white. Female: Bill obscured bluish, with black belt near end; iris yellow." Elliot Coues, 1884

Small Redhead

"Fuligula ferina americana. Red-head. American Pochard. The feathers of the head somewhat full and puffy,…

"Fuligula ferina americana. Red-head. American Pochard. The feathers of the head somewhat full and puffy, though forming no crest. Bill broad and flattened, a little widened toward end, running into the forehead which arches abruptly over and away from it, not rising gradually into line with forehead; shorter or not longer than head, 2 inches or less in length along culmen, the nostrils within its basal half; the forward end of nostril about 2/5 the way from upper corner to end of bill. Bill dull blue with a black belt at the end. Iris orange. Feet dull grayish-blue, with dusky webs and black claws. Head and neck all around rich pure chestnut, not obscured with dusky-brown, but with bronzy or coppery red reflections. Lower neck and fore parts of body above and below, with rump and tail-coverts above and below, blackish. Back mixed whitish and blackish in about equal amounts, the dark wavy lines distinct and unbroken. Sides of the body under the wings vermiculated much like the back, the undulations subsiding in the grayish-white of the middle under parts. Wing-coverts ashy-gray, minutely dotted with white; speculum hoary-ash, bordered internally with black; lining of wings mostly white. Female: Bill obscured bluish, with black belt near end; iris yellow." Elliot Coues, 1884

Redheads

"Fuligula ferina americana. Red-head. American Pochard. The feathers of the head somewhat full and puffy,…

"Aegiothus linaria. Common Redpoll. Common Red-poll. Frontlet, lores, and throat-spot sooty-black. Crown crimson. Above, variegated with brownish-yellow and dusky, the feathers having dark centres and flaxen edges. Rump streaked with dusky and white, and tinged with rosy, more or less so according to age and season. Below, white, the sides and crissum streaked with dusky, the entire fore-parts colored with rose-red more or less rich and extensive according to same circumstances. Wings and tail dusky, the feathers edged with whitish, the middle and greater coverts tipped with the same, forming two crossbars. Bill black or yellow, usually found yellow with dusky tip and edges. Feet blackish." Elliot Coues, 1884

Common Redpoll

"Aegiothus linaria. Common Redpoll. Common Red-poll. Frontlet, lores, and throat-spot sooty-black. Crown…

"Machetes pugnax. Ruff. Reeve. Combatant. Gambetta. Varied above with black, brown, buff and chestnut, the sides of rump white; under parts white, breast and sides and crissum black, spotted with white; tail brown, barred with chestnut and white; quills dusky, with shafts; wing-coverts ashy-brown. Bill blackish, flesh-colored at base; legs dingy yellow; warty excrescences yellow; feathers of the ruff endlessly varied in color." Elliot Coues, 1884

Ruff

"Machetes pugnax. Ruff. Reeve. Combatant. Gambetta. Varied above with black, brown, buff and chestnut,…

"Calidris arenaria. Sanderling. Ruddy "Plover". Adult in summer: Entire upper parts and neck all round variegated with black, light ashy and bright reddish; on the back and scapulars each feather having a central black field, and being broadly margined and tipped with ashy or reddish. Under parts white, immaculate. Outer webs an tips of primaries deep brownish-black, inner light ashy. A white spot at base of inner primaries. Secondaries mostly pure white; the outer vanes and part of inner on the latter half dusky. Greater coverts dusky, broadly tipped and narrowly edged with pure white. Rump, upper tail-coverts and central tail-feathers dusky, tipped and narrowly edged with ashy-white; lateral tail=-feathers very light ash, nearly white. Bill and feet black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Sanderling

"Calidris arenaria. Sanderling. Ruddy "Plover". Adult in summer: Entire upper parts and neck all round…

"Fig. 39 shows a Tridactyle foot of a sanderling, Calidris arenaria." Elliot Coues, 1884

Tridactyle Foot of a Sanderling

"Fig. 39 shows a Tridactyle foot of a sanderling, Calidris arenaria." Elliot Coues, 1884

"... basal webs generally run out to the end of the first, or along part of the second, phalanx of the toes; usually farther between the outer and middle that between the middle and inner toes. Such a foot is well illustrated by the semipalmated plover (Aegialites semipalmatus), semipalmated sandpiper(Ereunetes pusillus, fig 48)." Elliot coues, 1884

Half-Webbed Foot of a Sandpiper

"... basal webs generally run out to the end of the first, or along part of the second, phalanx of the…

"Tryngites rufescens. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Above, brownish-black with a greenish gloss, every feather broadly margined with tawny or yellowish-brown, the latter the prevailing tone. Under parts buff or fawn-colored, without markings except a few small blackish spots on sides of breast. Central tail-feathers greenish-brown, blackening at ends; others paler, often rufescent, with white or tawny tips and subterminal black bar; and usually, also, some black marbling or streaking/ Primaries and secondaries ashy-brown blackening at end, the extreme tip white - most of the inner webs of the primaries, and both webs of the secondaries pearly white, speckled and marbled with black. This curious tracery, best seen from below, is diagnostic; though the precise pattern varies interminably. The patch of under coverts at the bases of the primaries have the same character. Axillars white, lining of wings white or rufescent. Iris brown. Bill brownish-black; legs greenish or yellowish." Elliot Coues, 1884

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

"Tryngites rufescens. Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Above, brownish-black with a greenish gloss, every feather…

"Rhyacophilus solitarius. Solitary Tattler. American Green Sandpiper. Solitary Sandpiper. Above, dark lustrous olive-brown, streaked on the head and neck, elsewhere finely speckled, with white; no continuous white on rump or upper tail-coverts. Below, white; the jugulum and sides of neck shaded with brownish and streaked with dusky; sides, axillars, and `lining of wings regularly barred with dusky. Rump and upper tail-coverts like back; tail beautifully and regularly barred throughout with black and white; white prevailing on the outer feathers, where the dark bars may be broken, and white reduced to a series of marginal spots on the middle feathers. Primaries and edge of wing blackish, unmarked; secondaries like back, mostly unmarked, the inner ones gradually gaining white spots. Bill blackish; legs dull greenish." Elliot Coues, 1884

Solitary Sandpiper

"Rhyacophilus solitarius. Solitary Tattler. American Green Sandpiper. Solitary Sandpiper. Above, dark…

"Eurynorhynchus pygmaeus. Spoon-billed Sandpiper. General appearance of a stint, and size little greater. Coloration of upper parts almost exactly as in the species just names, the feathers being black, with indented light chestnut-red edgings, and mostly grayish-white tips; crown simply streaked with the reddish color and black. Under parts white, the whole throat, breast, and sides of the neck overlaid with bright chestnut (as in a highly-plumaged sanderling), the breast, back of this colored area, and the sides of the body, spotted with dusky. Primaries plain dusky, with blackish outer webs and ends, and mostly white shafts; secondaries mostly white from the base; greater coverts white-tipped. Bill and feet black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Spoon-billed Sandpiper

"Eurynorhynchus pygmaeus. Spoon-billed Sandpiper. General appearance of a stint, and size little greater.…

"Tringoides macularius. Spotted Sandpiper. Above, silken ashen-olive (quaker-color- as in our cuckoos) with a coppery lustre, finely varied with blackish, in streaks on head and neck, elsewhere in wavy or otherwise irregular cross-bars. line over eye, and entire under parts, pure white, with numerous sharp circular black spots, larger and more crowded in the female than in the male. Secondaries. and their coverts broadly white-tipped; some white feathers along bend of wing; axillars and lining of wings white, the latter with an oblique dusky bar. Primaries and most of the secondaries brownish-black, with brown shafts and large white basal spaces, concealed in the folded wing, conspicuous in flight. Upper tail-coverts and middle tail-feathers like back; lateral ones successively acquiring white tips; outer with several incomplete white bars. Feet pinkish-white, drying yellowish. Bill flesh-color, black-tipped; sometimes much of culmen dusky; sometimes much of under mandible orange." Elliot Coues, 1884

Spotted Sandpiper

"Tringoides macularius. Spotted Sandpiper. Above, silken ashen-olive (quaker-color- as in our cuckoos)…

"Micropalama himantopus. Stilt Sandpiper. In summer: blackish, each feather edged and tipped with white and tawny or bay, which on the scapulars becomes scalloped. Auriculars chestnut; a dusky line from bill to eye, and a light reddish superciliary one; upper tail-coverts white with dusky bars. Primaries dusky with blackish tips; tail-feathers 12 ashy-gray, their edges and a central field white; under parts mixed reddish, black, and whitish, in streaks on the jugulum, elsewhere in bars; bill and feet greenish-black." Elliot Coues, 1884

Stilt Sandpiper

"Micropalama himantopus. Stilt Sandpiper. In summer: blackish, each feather edged and tipped with white…

"Momotus caeruleiceps. Blue-headed Saw-bill. The central tail-feathers are long-exserted, and spatulate by absence of webs along a part of the shaft - a mutilation effected, it is said, by the birds themselves; the bill is about as long as the head, gently curved; the nostrils are rounded, basal, exposed; the wings are short and rounded; the tarsi are scutellate anteriorly. It is greenish, with blue head." Elliot Coues, 1884

Blue-headed Saw-bill

"Momotus caeruleiceps. Blue-headed Saw-bill. The central tail-feathers are long-exserted, and spatulate…

"Oidemia americana. American Black Scoter. Sea Coot. Adult male: Plumage entirely black, less glossy and jetty below than above, grayish on the inner webs of the quills. Iris brown. Feet blackish. Young male resembling the female. Female: Sooty-brown, paler below, becoming grayish-white on belly, there dusky-speckled, on sides and flanks dusky-waved; throat and sides of head mostly continuous whitish, not in special spots; bill blackish, not bulging; feet livid olivaceous with black webs." Elliot Coues, 1884

Black Scoter

"Oidemia americana. American Black Scoter. Sea Coot. Adult male: Plumage entirely black, less glossy…

"Spermatozoa of domestic cock, greatly magnified." The spermatozoam or seminal animalcules, or male Dynamamaebae (figs. 106, 107), are the exact counterparts of ovarian ova, in so far as they are single-celled animals of a very low grade of organization; but their activity and intelligence is marvelousm and still more so is the mysterious attribute with which they are endowed of assimilating their protoplasmic substance with that of the ovum; with the result that thus fecundated ovum is capable of procreating itself by fission for a period until a mass of similar creates in engendered; from which mass is then speedily evolved the complex body the bird." Elliot Coues, 1884

Rooster Seman

"Spermatozoa of domestic cock, greatly magnified." The spermatozoam or seminal animalcules, or male…

"Spermatozoa of domestic cock, greatly magnified." The spermatozoam or seminal animalcules, or male Dynamamaebae (figs. 106, 107), are the exact counterparts of ovarian ova, in so far as they are single-celled animals of a very low grade of organization; but their activity and intelligence is marvelousm and still more so is the mysterious attribute with which they are endowed of assimilating their protoplasmic substance with that of the ovum; with the result that thus fecundated ovum is capable of procreating itself by fission for a period until a mass of similar creates in engendered; from which mass is then speedily evolved the complex body the bird." Elliot Coues, 1884

Sparrow Seman

"Spermatozoa of domestic cock, greatly magnified." The spermatozoam or seminal animalcules, or male…

"Puffinus opisthomelas. Black-vented Shearwater. Dark color of upper parts extending farther on sides of head than in obscurus, leaving no white about eye. Under tail-coverts entirely sooty-blackish, except a few of the shortest just at the vent. More dark color on flanks, on lining of wings and axillars than in obscurus. In the dry state, bill yellowish or reddish-brown, the nasal tubes and culmen blackish, the hook mostly bluish-white. Outside of tarsus for the most part, outer toe and edges of webs, blackish; rest of foot pale yellowish flesh-color; "iris brown" Elliot Coues, 1884

Black-vented Shearwater

"Puffinus opisthomelas. Black-vented Shearwater. Dark color of upper parts extending farther on sides…

"Puffinus fuliginosus. Sooty Shearwater. Nearly uniform dark sooty-brown, blackening on quills and tail-feathers, more sooty-gray below, paler still on the throat; lining of wings mixed sooty and whitish. Bill drying an undefinable dark color, in life dusky bluish-horn color, the tube, ridge, and hook blackish; feet drying dark outside, pale inside; in life the inside of tarsus and upper side of feet livid flesh-color, the outside of outer toe and under side of feet blackish; eye blackish." Elliot Coues, 1884

Sooty Shearwater

"Puffinus fuliginosus. Sooty Shearwater. Nearly uniform dark sooty-brown, blackening on quills and tail-feathers,…

"Spatula clypeata. Shoveller Duck. Broad-bill. Bill blackish; iris orange-red: feet vermilion-red. Head and neck dark glossy green. Lower neck and fore breast pure white. Abdomen purplish-chestnut. Wing-coverts sky-blue; speculum rich green, set between white tips of greater coverts, and black subtips and white tips of secondaries; inner secondaries greenish-black, with long white stripe; long scapulars blue on outer webs, striped with white and greenish-black on inner; short anterior scapulars white. Rump and upper and under tail-coverts black; a white patch on each side at root of tail." Elliot Coues, 1884

Northern Shoveler

"Spatula clypeata. Shoveller Duck. Broad-bill. Bill blackish; iris orange-red: feet vermilion-red. Head…

"Carduelis pinus. Pine Linnet. Pine Finch. American Siskin. Pine Siskin. Continuously streaked, above with dusky or dark olivaceous-brown and flaxen or whitish, below with dusky and whitish, the whole body usually suffused with yellowish, most evident on the rump. Wings dusky, the basal portion of all the quills and their inner webs for some distance sulphury-yellow, usually showing externally as a spot just beyond the coverts, sometimes restricted and hidden. Outer webs of the quills also narrowly edged with yellow, separated from the basal yellow patch by a blackish interval. Tail dusky, its basal half yellow, and outer webs edged with yellow. Bill and feet brown." Elliot Coues, 1884

Pine Siskin

"Carduelis pinus. Pine Linnet. Pine Finch. American Siskin. Pine Siskin. Continuously streaked, above…

"Fig 56 - Axial skeleton, minus the skull, of an owl, Asio wilsonianus, life size; from nature by Dr. R.W. Shufeldt, USA. at, atlas; ax,axis; cv, cervical vertebrae; c, c', cervical ribs, or free pleurapophyses; dv, dorsal vertebrae, excepting the last one, which joins the sacrum; R, two of the six true ribs (pleurapophyses), whereof sr is sacral; u, one of the five uncinate processes or epipleura; cr, two of the six sternal ribs(haemapophyses), whereof the sixth floats; p, pelvic or sacral region of the spine, comprehending one dorsal, and several lumbar, sacral proper, and urosacral vertebrae; I ilium; Is, ischium; P pubis; a, acetabulum; in, ischio-iliac foremen; o, obturator foramen; clv, caudal or coccygeal vertebrae, whereof py is the pygostyle; s, scapula; ohs, os humero-scapulare; cl, clavicle; C, coracoid; S, sternum." Elliot Coues, 1884

Axial Skeleton

"Fig 56 - Axial skeleton, minus the skull, of an owl, Asio wilsonianus, life size; from nature by Dr.…

"Ideal plan of the double-ringed body of a vertebrate. N, neural canal; H, haemal canal; the body separating them is the centrum of any vertebra, bearing e, and epapophysis, and y, a hypapophysis; n, n, neurapophyses; d, d, diapophyses; ns, bifid neural spine; pl, pl, pleurapophyses; h, h, haemapophyses; hs, bifid haemal spine. Drawn by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, USA, After Owen. The Axial Skeleton of a bird or any vertebrated animal, that is, one having a back-bone, exhibits in cross-section two rings or hoops, one above and the other below a central point, like the upper and lower loops of a figure 8. The upper ring is the neural arch, so called because such cylinder encloses a section of the cerebro-spinal axis, or principal nervous system of a vertebrate (brain and spinal cord, whence arise all the nerves of the body, excepting those of the sympathetic nervous system). The lower ring is the haema arch, which similarly contains a section of the principal blood vessals and viscera.

Axial Skeleton

"Ideal plan of the double-ringed body of a vertebrate. N, neural canal; H, haemal canal; the body separating…

"Fig 55. - Actual section of the body in the thoracic region of a bird. N, neural canal; H, haemal canal; c, centrum of a dorsal vertebra; hy, hypapophysis; d, diapophysis; z, zygapophysis; ns, neural spine; r, pleurapophysis, or vertebral part of a free rib, bearing u, uncinate process or epipleura; cr, haemapophyses; or sternal part of the same; st, section of the sternum or breast-bone (haemal spine). Designed by Dr. R. W. Shufeldt, USA. This figure shows such a section, made across the thoracic or chest-region of the trunk. Here the upper ring (neural) is contracted, only surrounding the slender spinal cord, while the lower ring is expanded to enclose the heart and lungs." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Axial Skeleton

"Fig 55. - Actual section of the body in the thoracic region of a bird. N, neural canal; H, haemal canal;…

'Rhynchops. Skimmer. Bill hypognathous Among the singular bills of birds that frequently excite our wonder, that of the skimmers as one of the most anomalous. The under mandible is much longer than the upper, compressed like a knife-blade; its end is obtuse; its sides come abruptly together and are completely soldered; the upper edge is as sharp as the under, and fits a groove in the upper mandible; the jawbone, viewed apart, looks like a short-handled pitchfork. The upper mandible in also compressed, but less so, nor is it so obtuse at the end; its substance is nearly hallow, with light cancellated structure, much as in a toucan; it is freely movable by means of an elastic hinge at the forehead." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Bill of a Skimmer

'Rhynchops. Skimmer. Bill hypognathous Among the singular bills of birds that frequently excite our…

"Fig 64 - Skull of chick, fifth day of incubation, x 9 diameters. Seen from above, the membranous roof of the skull and the brain removed. cv1, anterior cerebral vesicle; e, eye; c, notochord, running through the middle of the basilar plate or parachordal cartilage, in which are already visible the rudimentary ear-parts, cl, the cochlea, hsc, the horizontal semicircular canal; pts, the pituitary space, bounded by tr, the trabeculae, which come together before it to form the fronto-nasal plate, fn, in fig. 65; lg, lingula or bridge connecting trabeculae with parachordal cartilage; 5 notch afterward becoming foramen ovale for passage of parts of the fifth (trifacial) nerve; 9, foramen for hypoglossal nerve; q, separate cartilage forming the future quadrate bone." Elliot Coues, 1884

Skull of a Chick

"Fig 64 - Skull of chick, fifth day of incubation, x 9 diameters. Seen from above, the membranous roof…

"Skull of a chick, but seen from below. cv1, anterior cerebral vesicle; e, eye; m, mouth; pts, pituitary space; fn, fronto-nasal plate; tr, ends of the trabeculae, free again after their union and bent strongly from the original axis of the trabeculae; n, external nostril; mxp, subocular bar of cartilage, or pterygo-palatine rod, to form pa, palatine, and pg, pterygoid bone, and other parts of the upper jaw, as the maxillary, jugal and quadrato-jugal; q, quadrate cartilage, same as seen in fig 64; mk, meckelian cartilage, to form lower jaw; these parts are in the first post-oral visceral arch; ch, cerato-hyal, and bh, basihyal, of second postoral arch; cbr, cerato-branchial, ebr-branchial, bbr, basi-branchial, of third post-oral arch; the parts of the second and third arch all going into the hyoid bone. 1, 2, 3, 1st, 2d, 3d, visceral clefts, whereof the 1st is to be modified into the ear-passages, and the others are to be obliterated." Elliot Coues, 1884

Skull of a Chick Below

"Skull of a chick, but seen from below. cv1, anterior cerebral vesicle; e, eye; m, mouth; pts, pituitary…

"Fig 63 - Skull of a duck (Clangula islandica), nat. size; Dr. R.W. Shufeldt, U.S.A. a, premaxillary bone; b, partly ossified internasal septum; b', pervious part of nostril; c, end of premaxillary, perforated form numerous branches of second division of the fifth cranial nerve; d, dentary bone of under mandible; e, groove of nerves, etc.; f, a vacuity between dentary and other pieces of the mandible; g, articular surface; h, recurved "angle of the jaw;" i, occipital protuberance; j, vacuity in supraoccipital bone; k, muscular impression on back of skull; l is over the black ear-cavity; m, post-frontal process; n, quadrate bone; o, pterygoid; p, palatine; q, quadrato-jugal; r, jugal; s, maxillary; t, fronto-parietal dome of the brain-cavity; u; u, the lacrymal bone, immense in a duck, nearly completing rim of the orbit by approaching m; v, vomer; w, supra-orbital depression for the nasal gland; x, cranio-facial hinge; y, optic foramen; z, etc. interorbital vacuities." Elliot Coues, 1884

Duck Skull

"Fig 63 - Skull of a duck (Clangula islandica), nat. size; Dr. R.W. Shufeldt, U.S.A. a, premaxillary…

"Side view of a woodpecker's skull, showing the long slender basihyal (bh), bearing slight elements at its fore end, no uroyhal, and extraordinarily long thyrohyals (cbr, ebr) curving up over back of skull and curling together around orbit of the right eye." Elliot Coues, 1884

The Skull of a Woodpecker

"Side view of a woodpecker's skull, showing the long slender basihyal (bh), bearing slight elements…

"The post-oral arches of the house martin, at middle of period of incubation, lateral view, X14 diameters. mk, stumpof meckelian or mandibular rod, its articular part, ar already shapen; q, quadrate bone, or suspensorium of lower jaw, with a free anterior orbital process and long posterior otic process articulating with the ear-capsule, of which teo, tympanic wing of occipital, is a part; mst, est, sst, ist, sth, parts of suspensorium of the third post-oral arch, not completed to chy; mst, medio-stapedial, tp come away from teo, bringing a piece with it, the true stapes or columella auris; the oval base of the stapes fitting into the future fenestra ovalis, or oval window looking into the cochlea; sst, supra-stapedial; est, extra-stapedial; ist, infra-stapedial, which will unite with sth, the stylo-hyal; chy and bhym cerato-hyal and basi-hyal, distal parts of the same arch; bbr, br 1, br2, basi-branchial, epi-branchial and cerato-branchial pieces of the third arch, composing the rest of the hyoid bone; tg, tongue." Elliot Coues, 1884

House Martin Skull

"The post-oral arches of the house martin, at middle of period of incubation, lateral view, X14 diameters.…