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XIII.— A Note on the Structure of the Feather.
Author(s) -
Gladstone John S.
Publication year - 1918
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-919x.1918.tb00780.x
Subject(s) - feather , ridge , art , anatomy , biology , paleontology
F or some time past I have been engaged on the photographic analysis of a feather, and my attention has been concentrated on the glazed portion of the underside of the primaries of certain birds. Chandler (University of California Publications, Zoology, xiii. 1916, pp. 243–446), referring to the subject states:— “The ventral edges of the rami are produced into horny keels usually with no evident cell structure, known as the ventral ridges. Although in the great majority of birds the ridge forms only a narrow, inconspicuous border for the ramus, in a few birds it is extraordinarily developed as a very thin translucent film, which bends distally and overlaps the following ramus, giving a smooth, glazed appearance to the under surface of the feather which is conspicuous at the most casual glance.”