Incoming 9 bits using shiftIn()

Using Arduino Programming Questions
#1

Which bit gets lost? the 1st bit or the last bit?

#2

Context?
Only 8 bits will get shifted on, so the last one.
Do two shift to get 16 bits, combine together into an int and act on that.
Something like:

shiftIn (dataPin, clockPin, MSBFIRST, byte1); // xxxxxxxx
shiftIn (dataPin, clockPin, MSBFIRST, byte2); // y0000000 or y1111111 or yzzzzzzz with z unknown

newInt =( (byte1<<8) + byte2) >>7; // result should be 0b0000000xxxxxxxxy
                                    // with x from byte1 and y from byte 2
#3

The problem is that the 1st bit transmitted is a "0" dummy bit, then 8 bits. So it's the first bit that I have to lose.

Could like cycle the clock once then do a shiftIn()?

#4

Do the two shiftIns still to receive:

0xxxxxxx yzzzzzzz

and manipulate accordingly to keep 7 x’s and y. I think what I suggested will still work.

#5