CORVUS. CROW. 



495 



are very small and cylindrical ; rectum enlarged, very short, 

 with a globular dilatation at the end. 



Nostrils in the fore part of the short nasal groove, which is 

 filled up by a membrane, roundish, open, but concealed by the 

 narrow reversed feathers, which cover a large portion of the 

 bill. Eyes of moderate size ; eyelids feathered, having a nar- 

 row crenate bare margin, but without ciliary bristles, the lower 

 much larger. Aperture of the ear roundish, of moderate size. 

 Head large, oblong, rather convex above ; neck rather short, 

 strong ; body ovate, compact. Legs of moderate length, strong ; 



tarsi rather short, com- 

 pressed behind, covered an- 

 teriorly with eight scutella, 

 posteriorly with two longi- 

 tudinal plates, meeting be- 

 hind with a rather sharp 

 edge; toes of moderate size, 

 the outer adherent as far 

 as the second joint ; hind 

 toe comparatively large, la- 

 teral toes nearly equal, 

 third considerably longer; 

 all covered above with a few large scutella, beneath rather flat- 

 tened, granulate, and transversely sulcate ; claws strong, arched, 

 compressed, rather sharp, the first with an obscure groove on 

 the sides, the third with the inner edge rather dilated. 



Plumage generally dense, but soft, and highly glossed ; the 

 feathers of the body ovate, rounded, with longish plumules 

 composed of a few downy filaments. Feathers on the head 

 short ; those at the base of the upper mandible linear, stiff, 

 with short discrete barbs, directed forwards and adpressed ; 

 there is also a series of decurved bristles at the base of the 

 rictus. Wings long, much rounded, the outer primaries sepa- 

 rated when the wing is extended ; primary quills ten, the first 

 very short and narrow, the fourth generally longest, the third 

 and fifth little shorter, the first five having both webs narrowed 

 towards the end ; secondary quills twelve, very broad, the outer 

 truncato-emarginate, the inner rounded, all with a minute point. 



Fig. 82. 



