TENTATORES. PROBERS. 55 



somewhat cylindrical, generally in some degree flexible ; the 

 upper mandible with the ridge separated from the very 

 narrow sides by a groove on each side, extending often to 

 the point, which is somewhat blunt; the lower mandible 

 with the angle very long and narrow, the sides grooved, the 

 tip rather acute. The tongue is slender, sagittate and papil- 

 late at the base, triangular, tapering to a point. On the roof 

 of the mouth are two or three rows of papilla?, directed back- 

 wards. The oesophagus is narrow, with the proventriculus 

 bulbiform or oblong ; the stomach oblong or elliptical, with 

 strong lateral muscles and large tendinous spaces, its epithe- 

 lium dense, hard, with large longitudinal ruga? ; the intestine 

 of moderate length, and rather narrow ; the cceea rather long, 

 cylindrical, or oblong ; the cloaca oblong. 



The legs are slender, generally long, often moderate ; the 

 tibia scarcely ever feathered to the joint ; the tarsus slender, 

 scutellate in front ; the toes of moderate length, slender, the 

 anterior spreading and more or less Avebbed at the base, the 

 first small, elevated, sometimes wanting ; the claws small, 

 compressed, arched, acute. 



The plumage is generally soft and blended, or somewhat 

 compact ; the feathers oblong or ovate, with a rather large 

 down-plumule. The wings are long, of moderate breadth, 

 acute ; the first quill generally longest, some of the inner 

 secondaries narrow, tapering, and nearly as long as the outer 

 primaries when the wing is closed. Tail short or moderate, 

 of twelve or sometimes more feathers, and varying in form. 



The skeleton is very similar in all the species which I 

 have examined. The cranium is rather small, the part con- 

 taining the brain short, rounded behind ; the interocular 

 septum incomplete, as is a large portion of the base of the 

 skull anteriorly. The jaws are very elongated and slender ; 

 the nasal sinus extremely long, extending nearly to the tip, 

 so as to separate the medial from the lateral portions ; there 

 is also a groove along the crura of the lower jaw. Taking 

 the Curlew as an example, we find that it has 44 vertebra?, 

 of which 14 are cervical, 9 dorsal, 13 sacral, and 8 caudal. 

 The cervical vertebra? are moderate, with large articulations. 

 The ribs, nine in number, are very slender ; the first rudi- 



