S8 Mr. T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds. 



ischium, and united only to that bone at the upper extremity, so as to 

 form a deep and unbroken fissure between it and the ischium from 

 the obturator foramen along its whole length. The whole length of 

 the cranium from the tip of the bill to the occiput is six inches and 

 eight-tenths ; its greatest breadth, which is immediately behind the 

 eyes, is one inch and one-tenth ; the frontal bones are elongated over 

 the orbits of the eyes, and measure immediately above them half an 

 inch in breadth ; a larger portion of ethmoidal bone than is usual in 

 the order Grallatores is apparent on the forehead. The lacrymal 

 bones project laterally and posteriorly in the same plane with the 

 nasal bones, forming two processes projecting backwards towards the 

 orbits of the eyes. The septum between the orbits of the eyes is not 

 complete, but has a large irregularly-formed foramen through it pos- 

 teriorly. 



The inferior maxillary bones are slightly curved downwards, flat- 

 tened, broadest at their base and gradually tapering to their tips ; 

 the rami are anchylosed together for nearly one- third of their length 

 towards the tip ; the base of each ramus is perforated by a large oval 

 foramen half an inch in length and two-tenths in breadth. 



The femur is three inches in length and slightly curved in a down- 

 ward direction. The trochanter is of moderate size and edged. 



The tibia is six inches and three-quarters in length. The fibula 

 extends down two-thirds of the length of the tibia ; the internal crest 

 is large, flattened laterally and rounded anteriorly ; the tarsi measure 

 four inches and eight-tenths in length, and are rather robust for the 

 size of the bird. 



The wing-bones are short and weak; the length of the humerus is 

 four inches, that of the ulnar bones four inches and seven-tenths of 

 an inch, and that of the metacarpus two inches. 



The formula of the vertebrae is — 



Cervical 16 ; Dorsal 7 ; Sacral 13 ; Caudal 7. 

 The ribs are nine in number, with one false one anteriorly and one 

 posteriorly ; they are light and weak, and all, with the exception of 

 the false ones and the last posterior true one, furnished with long 

 narrow osseous splints directed rather acutely upwards. 



Remarks. — In the anatomy of the intestines and oesophagus 

 this bird approaches closely to the Rallidce. The stomach how- 

 ever is not furnished with such powerful muscles, which would 

 not be required in a bird which, judging from the contents of the 

 present subject^s stomach and oesophagus, feeds entirely on soft 

 animals. I am not aware of any bird that has a similar convo- 

 lution of the trachea to that represented in the Plate among Gral- 

 Jatores, or indeed in any other order ; convolutions occur in the 

 trachea of Athropoides Stanley anus,Yig., Ardea Virgo, Linn., and 

 in the Common Spoonbill, all of which have been figured by 

 Mr. Yarrell in the ' Linnsean Transactions ^ ; in the two former 

 however the trachea enters the sternum, and in the latter the con- 

 volution takes place in the interior of the thorax, and is of a dif- 



