Part 161

NAPE, n. (49.) See NUCHA.

NAR´IS, n.; pl. nares. Nostril (always paired). (28½.) The external nares open upon the bill, or its cere, in very various shape and position; the internal nares open slit-wise upon the back part of the palate.

NA´SAL, a. Pertaining to the nostrils. Nasal bones, a pair at the root of the upper mandible.

NAS´CENT, a. About being born; beginning to grow or exist.

NATA´TION, n. Act of swimming.

NATATO´RES, n. pl. A group of swimming-birds.

NATATO´RIAL, a. Capable of swimming; belonging to swimming-birds.

NEARC´TIC, a. Indigenous to the northern portion of the Western Hemisphere.

NEBULA´TED, a. Clouded with various indistinct colors.

NECK, n. (47.) See COLLUM.

NEOGÆ´AN, n. Indigenous to the Western Hemisphere or “New World.”

NEOS´SINE, n. Substance of the “edible birds’-nests.”

NEOSSOL´OGY, n. Study of young birds.

NEOTROP´ICAL, a. Indigenous to the tropical portion of the Western Hemisphere.

NER´VINE, n. Nerve substance.

NEU´RAL, a. Pertaining to nerves. Neural canal, the tube of the backbone. Neural spine, the so-called spinous process of a vertebra. Neural axis, cerebro-spinal axis. Neural arch, see NEURAPOPHYSIS.

NEURAPOPH´YSIS, n. The laminate process of a vertebra, which, meeting its fellow at the neural spine, closes the canal for transmission of the spinal cord.

NEURILEM´MA, n. Sheath of nerve fibre.

NEUROL´OGY, n. Study of the nerves.

NIC´TITATING MEM´BRANE, n. The third or inner eyelid of birds.

NIDIFICA´TION, n. Nest-building; mode of nesting.

NI´DUS, n. Nest.

NI´SUS FORMATI´VUS, n. The formative tendency; the unknown law which determines the rudiment of an animal to take its proper shape, “each after its kind.” “Plastic force.”

NODE, NO´DUS, n. A swelling; hence, a joint, as bones usually enlarge at their articulating extremities. Compare INTERNODE.

NOMEN´CLATURE, n. The sum of the words or terms peculiar to any department of knowledge; as, ornithological nomenclature; in this sense equivalent to terminology. Also, the naming of objects according to some fixed principle; as, the binomial nomenclature. It is essential to the integrity of nomenclature that it should rest upon classification, or taxonomy.

NON-. Not. A frequent prefix in scientific literature, denoting negation, used much like dis-, un-, in-, etc.

NOS´TRIL, n. (28½.) See NARIS.

NOTÆ´UM, n. The entire upper part of a bird. (5.)