EUROPEAN CROSSBILL. 419 



curved, much compressed, rather acute, a little deflected late- 

 rally in opposite directions, the lower when the bill is closed 

 ascending to the level of the ridge of the upper, which is con- 

 siderably longer. The upper mandible is towards the point 

 worn to a sharp edge beneath, beyond this part slightly con- 

 cave, with a deep central and two shallow lateral grooves ; the 

 lower very deeply concave, its edges near the middle elevated 



Fig. 70. 



into a sharp angular process. The oesophagus, PI. VIII, Fig. 

 4, a, 6, c, d^ which is three inches long, very thin, of moderate 

 width, but about the middle dilated on the right side to form a 

 crop, J, which, when fully distended, curves round the back of 

 the neck so as almost to reach the other side. It is to be ob- 

 served, however, that this part is so elastic that a person find- 

 ing it empty might, without proper examination, suppose it to 

 be but very slightly enlarged. The proventriculus, d, is nearly 

 three fourths of an inch long, and is studded with oblong glan- 

 dules, which are direct, tetragonal, and half a twelfth in length. 

 The stomach, ^, /*, ^, is a strong gizzard, smaller than in birds 

 of nearly the same size belonging to other genera of this family, 

 being only seven twelfths of an inch in its greatest diameter. 

 It is of a subrhomboidal form, with strong transverse lateral 

 muscles, e, /, inserted into two tendinous spaces, and has a 

 longitudinally rugous epithelium. The intestine, ^, /, j^ k^ /, 

 W2, ?2, which is ten inches long, has in its duodenal portion, /^, 

 «', j, a diameter of nearly two twelfths, but towards the cceca of 

 only one twelfth. The rectum, /, on^ ??, is an inch and a half 

 in length ; and the coeca, /, are cylindrical, and a twelfth and 

 a half long. 



Ee 2 



