CARRION CROW. 517 



and somewhat convex above. The bill is proportionally small- 

 er than that of the raven, but of the same form, being rather 

 long, deep, and nearly straight ; the upper mandible having 

 its dorsal outline arcuato-declinate, the ridge obtuse but narrow, 

 the sides convex, the edges sharp, direct, slightly arched to- 

 wards the end, with a slight notch close to the declinate tip ; 

 the lower mandible w^ith the angle of moderate width, rather 

 acute, the dorsal line slightly convex, the sides erect and 

 convex, the edges sharp and slightly inflected, the tip rather 

 acute. 



Internally the upper mandible is concave and longitudinally 

 marked with seven prominent lines and intermediate shallow 

 grooves ; the lower deeply concave, with a prominent central 

 line. The palate is flat ; the posterior aperture of the nares 

 narrow and edged with small papillae. The tongue, PL IX, 

 Fig. 1, a, is oblong, horny, flat above, thin-edged, slit at the 

 point, emarginate and papillate at the base. The aperture of 

 the glottis is margined and terminated by numerous papillae. 

 The oesophagus, b, c, (?, is wide, of nearly uniform diameter, 

 a little dilated previous to its entrance into the thorax, then 

 slightly contracted. The proventriculus. Fig. 2, «, a, is of 

 the ordinary form, studded all round with oblong glandules. 

 The stomach. Fig. 2, h, c^ d, e^ is a moderately strong gizzard, 

 of an irregular oblong or elliptical form, a little compressed, an 

 inch and three quarters long ; its muscular coat thick, and 

 indistinctly separated into two lateral muscles, 6, c, and an in- 

 ferior, d : its tendons large ; the middle coat thin and tough ; 

 the cuticular lining of moderate thickness, tough, with few 

 deep longitudinal rugae. The intestine, Fig. 1, m, w, o, jt?, q, 

 is three feet three inches long, wider in its upper part, gra- 

 dually contracting as far as the coeca. Fig. 3, c, d^ w^hich are 

 adnate, cylindrical, five eighths of an inch long ; the rectum, 

 6, c, J, short, dilated towards the end. 



The eyes are of moderate size, as are the external apertures 

 of the ears ; the nostrils roundish, in the fore part of the short 

 nasal space, and concealed by the feathers. 



The legs are of moderate size ; the tarsi covered anteriorly 

 with eight scutella, posteriorly with two plates meeting so as 



