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OIDEMIA. SCOTER. 



The Scoters, which are remarkable for their black colour 

 and tumid bill, are birds of large size, having the body very 

 full, much depressed ; the neck of moderate length, or rather 

 short and thick ; the head large, oblong, compressed, and 

 rather flattened above. 



Bill nearly of the same length as the head, very broad, of 

 about equal height and breadth at the base, depressed and 

 flattened toward the end, which is rounded ; upper mandible 

 with a prominence at the base above, and a more extended 

 enlargement on each side, the dorsal line at first convex, 

 before the nostrils concave, the unguis very large, broadly 

 elliptical, little convex, at the end decurved, the sides erect 

 at the base, gradually more convex toward the end, the 

 edges thin, concealing the not very numerous slender lamellae ; 

 lower mandible flattened, with the intercrural space very 

 long, rather narrow, bare for more than half its length, the 

 lower outline of the crura slightly convex, the unguis very 

 large, and broadly elliptical ; the gape-Kne gently rearcuate. 



Mouth of moderate width ; anterior palate broadly con- 

 cave, with a median prominent line, on which are some 

 tubercles, and from thirty to forty marginal lamellae. Tongue 

 large, fleshy, with numerous conical papillae at the base, a 

 deep median groove, tAvo lateral series of bristles, and a thin 

 rounded tip. Oesophagus wide. Stomach a powerful gizzard 

 of a roundish form, with very large lateral muscles, longitu- 

 dinally rugous epithelium, and thick grinding plates. Intes- 

 tine of moderate length, wide ; coeca rather long, and narrowed. 



The trachea is remarkable for two abrupt bony expansions, 

 one at *the upper larynx, the other roundish and flattened. 

 The lower larynx is large, but symmetrical ; the bronchi 

 wide, and of moderate length. 



