580 ANSERINiE. 



nearly equal height and breadth ; the neck long, or extremely 

 elongated, and rather slender ; the head rather small, oblong, 

 compressed, and arched above. The bill is stout, short, or of 

 moderate length, much higher than broad at the base, gradu- 

 ally depressed toward the end, narrowed or of equal breadth 

 throughout, with large convex ungues. The upper mandible 

 internally concave, with a median tuberculate ridge, one or 

 two series of tubercles on each side, then a series of flattened 

 lamellae, and along the margin numerous lamella?, often 

 enlarged at the end, but varying in form. The tongue is 

 fleshy, thick, margined with pointed papillae or fibres. The 

 oesophagus long, narrow, enlarged at the lower part. The 

 stomach an extremely developed, oblique, transversely ellip- 

 tical gizzard, having the lateral muscles excessively thick, the 

 tendons large, and the epithelium forming two circular, some- 

 what concave, thick grinding plates. The intestine is long, 

 rather narrow, in numerous folds ; the cceca long, narrow at 

 the base, then enlarged and nearly cylindrical. The trachea 

 of numerous broad, considerably flattened rings, has no 

 remarkable dilatations, and the inferior larynx is simple, that 

 is, destitute of labyrinth, and compressed in the typical 

 genera ; but in those which graduate into the Anatinse is 

 usually furnished with an enlargement. 



The nostrils are small, or moderate, submedial, oblong ; 

 the eyes small; the aperture of the ear rather small. The 

 legs, placed considerably forward, so as to balance the body 

 in a horizontal or little inclined position, are very strong, but 

 vary in length. The toes are four ; the hind toe very small, 

 either rounded beneath, or with a small thickened lobe ; the 

 anterior toes rather long, the outer little shorter than the 

 medial ; the interdigital membranes full ; the claws short, 

 rather compressed, obtuse. 



The plumage is rather full, close, and firm, unless on the 

 head and neck, where it is short, soft, more or less blended. 

 The wings are very long and broad ; the humerus and cubitus 

 proportionally shorter than the outer part ; the primaries 

 decurved, the second and third longest, the first little shorter. 

 The tail short, rounded, of from sixteen to twenty-four 

 feathers. 



