12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.67 



Order SPHENISCIFORMES 



The penguins so far as known have a characteristic tongue. It 

 is rather long and pointed and the surface is entirely covered with 

 large stiff conical retroverted spines. 



Order PROCELLARIIFORMES 



In this group there is considerable variation. On the whole it 

 tends to be rather small in comparison to the bill and gape. In 

 Bulweria hulweri it is very small, approaching rudimentary, 

 while in Macronectes and Prion it is larger and more nearly matches 

 the bill in size. In some genera it is well armed with spines, not 

 only posteriorly but along the sides almost to the tip. Thus Ful- 

 marus glacialis glupischa (fig. 25), Pterodrovia hypoleuca^ and 

 Puffinus cuneatus have lateral spines for the posterior third, while 

 Bulweria hulweri extends this to one-half and Pu-ffinus griseus (fig. 

 8) and Prioflnus cinereus are supplied the whole length of the 

 tongue. This characteristic does not hold good for the entire 

 family Procellariidae, however, since lateral spines are lacking in 

 Halohaena coerulea and Prion desolatus. In the former one 

 finds a rather small, cylindrical, fleshy tongue armed with a single 

 row of very weak sj^ines and tapering to an unsplit tip. The latter 

 has lost most of the j)osterior row, so that this edge is often a smooth, 

 rounded margin. Occasionally one finds a few inconspicuous spines 

 buried in tissue, the value of which must be negligible. 



The Hydrobatidae have very small tongues. Oceanites oceanicus 

 and O. gracilis possess small fleshy cylinders with a weak row 

 of spines. 



Order CICONIIFORMES 



This is a rather unwieldy group with tongues that vary from 

 minute rudimentary structures to the large fleshy one of the 

 flamingoes. 



The Steganopodes are characterized without exception, so far as 

 IS loiown, by rudimentary tongues. In Phalacrocorax, Sula, Pele- 

 canus, and Anhinga it is a mere toothpick of flesh. Anhinga anhinga 

 (fig. 20) has a curious little tonguelike eminence on the dorsum of 

 the cylindrical rudiment. Phalacrocorax has a tongue composed of 

 two plates of cornified tissue meeting in the midline and sloping 

 sharply like a steep roof. Fregata minor presents a small triangular 

 structure which has not as yet lost all form and on the surface of 

 which posteriorly are to be found abortive spines. 



The Ardeidae have a most characteristic organ already described, 

 the most outstanding feature of which is the soft fleshy posterior 



