CORACLE 209 



neck it becomes separate, and terminates in a truncate or 

 sometimes bifurcate extremity between the shoulder blades ; 

 at this point there is a break and the rest of the spinal 

 tract is double, enclosing a space bounded by two distinctly 

 conical tracts, which gradually get narrower to their point 

 of fusion, a little way in front of the oil gland. The ventral 

 tract is double from close to its point of origin ; the two 

 tracts get wide upon the pectoral region, whence they 

 gradually dwindle to a single feather wide close to their 

 termination ; the pectoral tracts have no outer branch. 



Nyctiornis has two carotids ; most of the others have 

 only one, the left. The bee-eaters have long cceca, like the 

 Coraciidae. In a specimen of M. ornatus with the intestines 

 only 5^ inches they measured iinch; in a larger species 

 1 inch. 



The proventriculus is zonary ; the right lobe of the liver 

 the larger, and with a gall bladder. 



The tensor patagii b rev is tendon gives off a wristward 

 slip, and a ' passeriform ' slip to the humeral at its insertion 

 to the fore arm, which it does not cross. There is no biceps 

 slip, but there is a fleshy slip to longus from pectoralis ; that 

 to brevis is entirely tendinous, there being in both an 

 agreement with Coracias. 



The deltoid extends a long way down the humerus ; it 

 receives a tendinous slip from the scapula, which passes under 

 the latissimus dorsi and over the anconaus longus. The 

 latter muscle has a humeral head, but not in Nyctiornis. 



The expansor secundariorum is present and ' ciconiine.' 



The leg formula is AXY . The deep flexor tendons are 

 as in fig. 55, p. 100 ; the flexor hallucis gives off a slip to the 

 hallux before it fuses with the flexor communis. 



The Meropidse have fourteen cervical vertebrce. The 

 atlas is perforated by the odontoid process. There are 

 hsemapophyses on C2-4, C10-D1 ; that of C14 is trifurcate. 

 Four ribs reach the sternum, which has two lateral notches, 

 of which the outer is the deeper, and has both external and 

 internal spina, the latter being bifid, as in Passeres and 

 some other birds. The clavicles have an acromial process,. 



