17« 



ANTHUS. PIPIT. 



Bill of moderate length, slender, straight, at the base rather 

 broader than high, compressed towards the end ; upper man- 

 dible with the dorsal outline slightly declinate at the base, 

 very slightly declinato-arcuate towards the end, the ridge nar- 

 row at the base, the nasal depression being large, the sides 

 towards the end convex, the edges direct, soft and rounded at 

 the base, sharp in the rest of their extent, with a slight notch 

 close to the tip, which is declinate, narrow, and rounded ; 

 lower mandible with the angle rather long, narrow, and 

 rounded, the dorsal outline straight, the back broad and con- 

 vex at the base, narrowed towards the end, the sides convex, 

 the edges erect and sharp, slightly overlapped by those of the 

 upper ; the gape-line straight, a little deflected at the base. 



The upper mandible within is concave and narrow, with a 

 central prominent line ; the palate flat, with two parallel 

 ridges ; the posterior aperture of the nares oblongo-linear, and 

 edged with small pointed papillae. The lower mandible is 

 very narrow and rather deeply concave, with a median pro- 

 minent line. The tongue is very slender, sagittate at the 

 base, and finely papillate, tapering to a slit point. The oeso- 

 phagus is of moderate width, nearly equal throughout, with- 

 out crop or remarkable dilatation ; the proventriculus oblong, 

 with oblong glandules. The stomach is a gizzard of con- 

 siderable power, roundish, compressed ; its muscles distinct, 

 the tendons large. The intestine is short, its duodenal portion 

 wider ; the cceca very small and cylindrical ; the rectum very 

 short, with an oblong dilatation. 



Nostrils descending, perforate, short-elliptical, or oblong, in 

 the lower and fore-part of the nasal depression, which is 

 feathered, except in its anterior portion. Eyes of moderate 

 size ; eyelids feathered, with a narrow, bare, crenate margin. 

 External aperture of the ear large, transversely oval. ' 



