VOL, IX 



The Oologist. 



ALBION, N. Y., FEB., 189-,\ 



NO. 2 



ZOOTOMY. 



THE DOMESTIC PIGEON. 



In the following notes, the writer 

 does not pretend to put forth anything 

 new, and but little, if anything original. 

 The material has been collected from 

 standard works ou the subject and from 

 his own notes taken under competent 

 instructoi's, and dissections made dur- 

 ing the last year. He only hopes to 

 give a few, or jierhaps many young 

 students an introduction to one of the 

 most interesting of studies. These notes 

 can be of no interest to the student 

 who does not perform the work as in- 

 dicated. A mere reading of them would 

 be as fruitless and uninteresting as the 

 reading of Dr. Jordan's "Manual of the 

 Vertebrates"without seeing a specimen. 

 A bird has been chosen as the subject.as 

 it is supposed tliat most readers of the 

 OoLociisT are interested in birds. 

 While these notes will apply in a gen- 

 eral way to the class, j^et the student 

 must not lose sight of the fact that 

 comparisons are very important and 

 should be made whenever opportunity 

 is pi'e.sente<l. Many interesting ])ecul- 

 iarities.will be noted in the comparative 

 anatomy, "internal" as well a "exter- 

 nal," of the Simicola', Gallin:e, Rap- 

 tores, Passeres and others. The Pigeon 

 is selected on account of the compara- 

 tive ease of obtaining sjiecimens as well 

 as the convenient size of the bird. 



The implements absolutely needed to 

 make a successful dissection are few 

 and simple. A scalpel, a pair of fine 

 pointed scissors, small forceps, blow- 

 pipe, a hand lens and several dissecting 

 needles made by forcing the eye-end of 

 a large needle into a soft stick of con- 

 venient size. Probes made by dipi)ing 

 the ends of large l)risttles into hot seal- 

 ing wax. The small drop of wax, on 

 cooling will make a -little ball Avhich 

 ■will prevent the probe "going wrong."* 

 Pen, pencil, ink, dividers and a good 

 quality of drawing paper together with 

 the note book must never be wanting. 

 Not only should the student verify all 

 notes in this article, but careful draw^- 

 ingsof all dissections should be made. 

 First, lightly drawn with a hard lead 

 pencil and then traced with ink, le- 

 membering that exactness is more im- 

 portant than ornament. 



With the aid of dividers all drawings 

 should be made on an exact scale; nat- 

 ural size when convenient. Do not at- 

 tempt a drawing until the dissection has 

 been put in the Ijost possible shape, and 

 all the characteristics have been made 

 out. Make your dissections on a table 

 facing a window so that no shadows 

 will bother. Althougli we have not 

 space to ])ay much attention to exter- 

 nal peculiarities of the pigeon, we can- 



* A pair of bone-cnishing forceps, heavy 

 scissors, cartilage^knife. an injecting syringe, 

 &c., may be used to great advantage. 



EXPLANATION OP PLATE. Domkstic Pigeo:< Columbia livia. (Pen-drawing from dissec- 

 tions ) Fig. I. Head showing cere. &c. Fig. II. Brain, from above, a. olfactory lobes, c. cere- 

 bral hemisjjhcre.s. m. pine;il body. s. optic lobe°. e. cereljellum. n.incdula oblongata. Fig. III. 

 V. cerei)ral ht-mispheres. ni. pineal body. a. olfacto-y lobe, e, cerel)ellnm. s. oi)tic lobes, m, 

 medula oblongata, n. roots of nerves, x. optic tracts, f), flocculus. Fig. IV. Half of heart. 

 V. left ventricle, n, aorta, s. v. semi-lunar valves, v', right ventricle, a. u. v. right auriculo- 

 ventricular valve, a. left auricle. (The section was so made that tlie connection between this and 

 ventricle is not shown. ) a', right auricle. Fig. V. Male sexual ami urinary organs, x'.i. a. testis 

 In place, e. liiduey. s. ureter, n. vas defen^ns. o, vcsicnla, seminalis c. cloaca, m. iliac vein, o, 

 femoral vein. Fig. Vl.IIalf of {iizzarf'.c. thifk muscular walls f)f same a. hoi-ny epithelial lining, m. 

 entrance of digestive canal, the proventriculus. s. duodenum, n. pyloris (opening into duodrnum. 

 Fig. VII. Cross section of brain showing (a) folds of cerebrum aiid om arl)or vitae. [This last 

 (VII) from fresh brain.] Fig. VIII. J>ower jiart of trachae and l)r<(nchial tubes. Fig. IX. n. 

 coeca. a. rectum, c, small intestine. 



