COMMON PHEASANT. 115 



generally distributed over the country, has acquired a right to 

 be admitted into the list of British Birds. At the same time, 

 it appears very doubtful if it should maintain its footing were 

 it entirely left to its own resources. !More splendid in its ap- 

 parel than any really native bird of the Gallinaceous order, it is 

 a favourite with those persons whose chief business is to gratify 

 their taste for whatever is ornamental ; and more delicate than 

 most as an article of food, it has become an object of general 

 culture. It is about the average size of the domestic fowl, or 

 somewhat smaller ; but as its general form, and the structure 

 of the bill have been sufficiently explained in the generic cha- 

 racter, it is unnecessary to describe them here. 



The mouth is rather narrow, and furnished with numerous 

 mucous crypts, of which there are two masses in the angle of 

 the lower jaw, a series on each side of the tongue, and two 

 series parallel to the hyoid bone. The oesophagus, which is 

 nine and a half inches long, measured from the base of the 

 tongue to the stomach, is narrow, having a diameter generally 

 of half an inch. At the distance of five inches from the tongue 

 it opens into the large membranous crop, of which the aper- 

 ture is an inch and a quarter in lenglh. The proventriculus 

 has a length of an inch and four-twelfths, with a diameter of 

 three-fourths of an inch. The whole inner surface of the 

 upper part of the oesophagus is covered with apertures of mu- 

 cous crjq^ts, which also extend about an inch into the crop ; 

 that of its lower part is slightly elevated into rugae, and also 

 furnished with crypts. The proventricular glands are very 

 large, oblong, oblique, externally lobed, and having a branch- 

 ed sacculated cavity ; their apertures being placed at a great 

 distance from each other, one might, on opening the proven- 

 triculus, suppose a space between them filled with a diffe- 

 rent texture ; but the whole organ is completely surrounded 

 by the glands. The stomach is a strong gizzard, of a some- 

 what rhomboidal form, two inches long ; the lateral muscles 

 are directly transverse ; the lower is distinct ; the upper part 

 is furnished with circular fibres. The middle coat is thin and 

 tough. The cuticular lining is longitudinally rugous, hard, 

 and harsh to the touch ; that part which covers the pyloric 



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