263 



MILVUS. KITE. 



Bill shorter than the head, somewhat broader than high at 

 the base, much compressed toward the end, strong ; upper 

 mandible with the dorsal line slightly convex, and descending 

 a little to the edo^e of the large bare cere, then decurved in the 

 fourth of a circle, the ridge broad and flattened at the base, 

 toward the end narrow but conveXj the sides rapidly sloping, 

 and but slightly convex, the edges soft at the base, beyond the 

 cere hard, direct, and sharp, with a slight festoon, the tip de- 

 flected, tapering, trigonal, rather blunt ; lower m.andible with 

 the angle large, wide, anteriorly rounded, the outline slightly 

 convex, the back broad, the sides rounded, the edges thin, 

 somewhat inflected, the tip rounded, but thin-edged ; the gape- 

 line nearly straight. 



Mouth wide ; upper mandible internally a little concave, 

 with a median ridge, lower deeply concave, with a median 

 prominent line ; palate flat, with two papillate longitudinal 

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

 margined with acute papillse. Tongue short, fleshy, sagittate, 

 and papillate at the base, concave above, horny beneath, 

 rounded and emarginate. QEsophagus wide, about the middle 

 dilated into a moderate crop ; proventricular belt complete. 

 Stomach roundish ; its muscular coat thin, being composed of 

 a sinde series of fasciculi, the lateral tendons roundish. In- 

 testine of moderate length, slender ; coeca very small ; cloaca 

 very large and globular. Plate XXI, Fig. 2. 



Body moderately full, compact ; neck short ; head of mo- 

 derate size, ovate, rather flattened above. Xostrils rather 

 small, elliptical, oblique, lateral, nearer the ridge than the 

 edge, and close to the anterior margin of the cere. Eyes large ; 

 eyelids feathered, and furnished with ciliary bristles ; the su- 

 perciliary ridge prominent. Aperture of the ear large and 



