206 



BUDYTES. QUAKETAIL. 



Bill of moderate length, slender, straight, broader than high 

 at the base, compressed towards the end ; upper mandible with 

 the dorsal outline slightly declinate at the base, very slightly 

 declinato-arcuate towards the end, the ridge narrow at the base, 

 the nasal depression being rather large, the sides toward the end 

 convex and incurved, the edges slightly inflected and overlap- 

 ping, soft and rounded at the base, sharp in the rest of their ex- 

 tent, with a very slight notch close to the tip, which is slightly 

 declinate, narrow, and rounded; lower mandible with the angle 

 of moderate length, narrow, and obtuse, the dorsal outline 

 slightly ascending, straight, the back flattened at the base, nar- 

 row in the rest of its extent, the sides erect and convex, the 

 edges slightly inclinate and sharp ; the gape-line straight, a 

 little deflected at the base. 



The upper mandible is narrow and concave within, with a 

 median prominent line ; the palate flat, with two prominent 

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

 margined with small pointed papillae. The lower mandible is 

 very narrow and concave, with a median prominent line. The 

 tongue is very slender, sagittate and papillate at the base, ta- 

 pering to a slit point. The oesophagus is of moderate width, 

 without crop or dilatation ; the proventriculus oblong, with 

 oblong glandules. The stomach is a gizzard of considerable 

 power, oblong, compressed ; its muscular coat thick, its lateral 

 muscles distinct, the tendons large ; the inner coat of moderate 

 thickness and nearly smooth. The intestine is short, of mode- 

 rate width ; the coeca very small and cylindrical ; the rectum 

 very short, with an oblong dilatation. 



Nostrils direct, perforate, small, elliptical, in the fore part of 

 the nasal depression, which is rather large and feathered, un- 

 less in its anterior portion. Eyes of moderate size ; eyelids 

 feathered, with a narrow, bare, crenate margin. External 

 aperture of the ear large, elliptical. 



