RING-NECKED LOON. 285 



dules very numerous, large, oblong or roundish, and arranged 

 in a continuous belt. The stomach is moderate, elliptical, 

 three inches in length, two inches and eight-twelfths in 

 breadth ; muscular, with large tendons, and moderately thick 

 lateral muscles, composed of strong fasciculi ; the epithelium 

 dense, thick, with large longitudinal transversely fissured 

 ridges, and roundish, concave, irregularly fissured grinding 

 surfaces. The pyloric orifice is wide, but has a strong pro- 

 minent margin. The intestine, six feet ten inches in length, 

 varies in width from nine-twelfths to half an inch. The coeca 

 are an inch and ten-twelfths in length, nine-twelfths in 

 breadth, and rounded at the end. The rectum is three and 

 a half inches long, with a globular dilatation, three inches in 

 diameter. 



The nostrils are small, linear, direct, sub-basal, pervious, 

 four-twelfths long. The eyes rather small, their aperture 

 four-twelfths. That of the ear only two-twelfths. The feet 

 are short, and placed at the extremity of the body ; the tibia 

 long, but covered with the skin so as not to be free, and fea- 

 thered almost to the joint ; the tarsus short, extremely com- 

 pressed, edged before and behind, covered all over with sub- 

 hexagonal scales. The hind toe extremely small, elevated, 

 connected with the second by a membrane, which is partly 

 free and lobiform ; the anterior toes long, the outer longest ; 

 the inner with a two-lobed membrane ; the interdigital mem- 

 branes narrow ; the middle toe with fifty-six scutella. The 

 claws are small, depressed, convex above, rounded at the end. 



The plumage is short, dense, and firm ; on the head and 

 neck very short and blended ; the feathers oblong ; those on 

 the upper parts compact, glossy, oblong, and abruptly ter- 

 minated ; on the lower oblong, rounded, and rather blended. 

 The wings are short, narrow, convex ; the primaries strong, 

 tapering, the first longest, the second two-twelfths of an inch 

 shorter, the rest rapidly decreasing ; the secondaries rather 

 broad, and rounded. The tail extremely short, rounded, of 

 twenty moderately firm feathers. 



The bill is black, with the tips horn-coloured ; the iris 

 bright-red ; the tarsi and toes purplish-blue externally, tinged 

 with pale yellowish-red internally ; the claws bluish-grey ; 



