92 riCUS VIRIDIS. 



neck of ordinary length, and the head ovatooblong and rather 

 large. The bill is longish, somewhat slender, straight, angular, 

 and tapering. The upper mandible has the dorsal outline 

 slightly convex, the ridge sharp, the sides sloping, the elevated 

 longitudinal line from over the nostrils distinct and close upon 

 the ridge, the edges sharp and slightly overlapping, the tip 

 vertically truncate and laterally bevelled. The lower mandible 

 has the angle lons[ and narrow, the dorsal line straight, the 

 sides sloping upwards and a little convex, the edges inflected, 

 thick and blunt, especially in the middle, the tip slightly trun- 

 cate. The mouth is narrow ; the upper mandible moderately 

 concave, with three prominent lines ; the lower more deeply 

 concave, with a median prominent line. On the palate are two 

 longitudinal ridges, and the posterior aperture of the nares is 

 linear-oblong, margined with papillse. The tongue is vermi- 

 form, terminated by a narrow flat horny point, which is fringed 

 with reversed bristles. The oesophagus is six inches long, of 

 which the very large proventriculus occupies an inch and a 

 quarter ; the stomach roundish, rather small, an inch in dia- 

 meter, somewhat compressed ; its muscular coat thin, its cuti- 

 cular lining slightly rugous ; the intestine twenty inches long, 

 its duodenal portion five-twelfths in width ; no coeca ; the 

 cloaca very large. 



The eyes are rather small, their aperture three and a half 

 twelfths in diameter. The nostrils oblong, two twelfths and a 

 quarter long, and covered over by the reversed bristly feathers of 

 the moderately large nasal membrane. The external aperture of 

 the ear is transversely oblong, its greatest diameter four-twelfths. 

 The tarsus is very short, feathered anteriorly about a third down, 

 with six scutella, behind with numerous scales. The first toe 

 is very small, and directed outwards and backwards, with six 

 scutella, the second of moderate length, united to the third as 

 far as the second joint, and having ten scutella ; the third 

 much longer, with fifteen scutella ; the fourth a little shorter 

 than the third, directed outwards and backwards, with twelve 

 scutella. The claws are much arched, deep, greatly com- 

 pressed, broadly grooved on the sides, and extremely acute ; 

 the first smallest, the third largest, the second larger than the 

 fourth. 



