14«J 



H^EMATOPUS. OYSTER-CATCHER. 



Bill long, slightly bent upwards beyond the middle, 

 pentagonal and about as high as broad at the base, where it 

 is covered by a soft skin which extends nearly to the middle ; 

 beyond this extremely compressed, and, when viewed verti- 

 cally, gradually tapering to a point ; when viewed laterally, 

 contracting a little from the base to before the nostrils, then 

 enlarging before the nasal groove, and afterwards gradually 

 sloping, but not forming a point, the tips being more or less 

 abrupt. This attenuation of the mandibles is not the original 

 form, but is produced by their being rubbed against hard 

 substances. Upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly 

 decimate at the base, then more or less bent upwards, the 

 ridge broad, convex at the base, gradually narrowing to the 

 tip, the sides at the base sloping, towards the end erect, the 

 edges soft and rounded at the base, rather sharp and hard 

 towards the end ; lower mandible with the angle rather long 

 and acute, the dorsal line a little convex, the sides and edges 

 as in the upper mandible. Mouth narrow ; upper mandible 

 within fiat, the edges projecting but slightly ; palate soft, 

 with six rows of conical papilla? directed backwards, three 

 on each side of the nasal slit ; lower mandible within but 

 slightly concave. Tongue very short, fleshy, sagittate and 

 papillate behind, flat above, the tip entire. The oesophagus is 

 narrow, dilates a little about the middle, and terminates in 

 an oblong proventriculus, surrounded with oblong glandules. 

 Gizzard large, muscular, oblong, with the muscles distinct, 

 the tendons radiated ; the cuticular lining tough, rather thin, 

 with prominent transverse rugse. Intestine slender, nearly 

 uniform in diameter, with two cylindrical rather long coeca ; 

 the cloaca elliptical. 



Eyes of moderate size, margins of eyelids bare and papil- 



