212 PERDIX, PARTRIDGE. 



but with a prominent convex soft central part ; lower mandible 

 concave, with a broad central groove, and two prominent lines. 

 Palate flat, with two slightly papillate soft ridges, from which 

 a papillate line proceeds to the middle of the nasal aperture, 

 and another curves behind it. Aperture of the posterior nares 

 oblong behind, anteriorly linear, its edges papillate, as is the 

 space on either side. Tongue short, triangular, flat above, pa- 

 pillate at the base, fleshy, horny beneath at the end, acute. 

 Two masses of large mucous crj^ts in the angle of the lower 

 jaw ; also a series on the lower side of the tongue on each side, 

 and a great number in the space between the root of the tongue 

 and the aperture of the glottis, which is defended behind by 

 two transverse flaps of pointed papillae. 



(Esophagus narrow, but enlarged or opening into a crop of 

 great size, lying over the fore part of the neck and thorax. In 

 its whole extent it is abundantly supplied with mucous folli- 

 cles, as is the crop for a short space around its aperture. The 

 proventriculus is somewhat bulbiform, its glands large, oblong, 

 and placed rather obliquely. Stomach a powerful gizzard, of 

 a roundish, subrhomboidal form, with the two lateral muscles 

 somewhat oblique, the lower distinct, its tendinous fibres pass- 

 ing under those of the rest ; the inner coat or epithelium strong, 

 hard, and longitudinally rugous. The cardiac orifice is situated 

 in a transverse depression, between the slight cardiac lobe and 

 the upper edge of the lateral muscle, and has no valvular ap- 

 paratus. Intestine long, rather wide, of nearly uniform diame- 

 ter. Coeca very long, narrow at the commencement, enlarged 

 and somewhat oblong, being of much greater diameter than the 

 intestine. Rectum long, cylindrical. The intestine within is 

 marked with regular series of minute depressions ; towards the 

 cceca are numerous roundish soft papillce ; there is a slight cir- 

 cular margin at the commencement of the rectum ; and the 

 cloaca is small and separated by a circular valve. 



Nostrils basal, lateral, circular behind, linear before, covered 

 above with an exposed oblong horny operculum ; the nasal 

 groove very broad and feathered. Eyes rather small ; eyelids 

 covered with very small feathers, their margin crenate ; a nar- 

 row space beneath the lower, and a larger space behind the 



