DUCKS. 



DUCKS. 



401 



that *pread over the warm climate* of America are different. He 

 state* that he know* the plumage of the American Flamingo from it* 

 youth to iU adult tte, and declare* that they are all diflerent from 

 the variou* utate* of the Flamingo of the ancient continent. The 

 orange-red which pervade* the whole of the plumage of the American 

 species when it ha* arrived at it* complete *tate of development is 

 uflkoieot to distinguish that bird from our European Flamingo, which 

 i* of a rote-colour with wing* of purple-red. The young of the Utter 

 (I'limitopttnu Antiijuomm) ha* the plumage whitUh, covered with 

 brown itreak* (mochen), very dutinotly marked and long, principally 

 oo the greater wing-covert* ; the American Flamingo (Pkmicoptenu 

 rater) u covered in it* youth with a dull whitish -gray plumage. 

 Three ipecie* are given by M. Temminck : 



1. P. Aniitfuonm, the Flamingo of the ancient* ; Flammant Phoo- 

 niooptere of Buflbn ; the Flammant and Flamingo of old author*. 

 Locality, couth of Europe, Africa, and part of Asia. 



3. P. rmbrr, the American Flamingo ; Red Flamingo of Wilson.' 

 Locality, South America and part of North America. 



S. P. minor, Flammant Pygmce, previously described by Vieillot a 

 P. farm. Locality, South Africa. 



M. Leeson observes that at all event* it would be more convenient 

 to retain the original name of Linnaeus, Ph<mitopttrut ruber, for the 

 Flamingo of the old continent, and to allow that given by Molina to 

 the American bird, tume\f,Ph<rnicopltrm CAi/rnju, to remain ; although 

 \Vibon, who doe* not appear to have recognised any specific difference, 

 record* the but-mentioned Flamingo under the name of Pheenicopicnu 

 ruler. The latter i* used by most of the English zoologist* to desig- 

 nate the Flamingo of the Old World ; and we shall, adhering to the 

 law of priority and to prevent confusion, adopt the nomenclature 

 suggested by M. Leason, wishing at the same time that Molina's name 

 had not been a name of locality. 



For a knowledge of the internal structure of the Flamingo we are 

 principally indebted to Professor Owen. From the fact of Cuvier 

 placing the Flamingo amongst the Oralialora, Professor Owen sup- 

 pose* that an opportunity of dissecting it had never occurred to Cuvier, 

 and that probably the absence of any allusion to ca-ca in Perrault's 

 anatomical description (' Mumoire* de 1'Aoademie,' t iii. 3 P., p. 462) 

 may have influenced hi* silence regarding the internal structure of a 

 bird which be considers a* one of the most extraordinary and most 

 isolated of it* clans. Cuvier, in allusion to the small tooth-like laminae 

 which are arranged along the margins of the upper mandible, points 

 out the relation which the Flamingo bears in this particular to the 

 Anatida; and Professor Owen states that a like correspondence is 

 observable in the rest of the alimentary canal, " The horny denticles 

 of the upper mandible," he write*, " and the transverse marginal fur- 

 row* of the lower mandible form together a nort of filter, and like the 

 plate* of whalebone in the Balance allow the superfluous moisture to 

 drain away, while the small Molliuea and other littoral Animalcula 

 are detained and (wallowed. The structure of the gullet is in accord- 

 ance with the size of the substances which serve for nutriment In 

 the typical Orallaloret, as Ardea and C'iconio, which swallow entire 

 Bah and other food in large morsels, the oesophagus i* remarkable for 

 it* great and uniform capacity ; but in Phoenieoptenu it is not more 

 than half an inch in diameter when dilated. At the lower part of the 

 neck it expands into a considerable pouch, which measured in the 

 specimen here described 3 inches in diameter and 4 J inches in length. 

 In Perrault's specimen the diameter was only one and a half inch, 

 and it was probably in a state of contraction, as he describes it as fur- 

 nished internally with many small longitudinal rugio. The circular 

 fibre* around this part were very distinct Beyond this pouch the 

 esophagus again contract* to about 4 line* in diameter, and so con- 

 tinue* for 54 inches, when it terminate* in the proven triculus. This 

 glandular cavity wa* 1 inch 8 line* in length and 5 line* in diameter ; 

 the gartriu follicle* were broad, short, and simple, and were arranged 

 in two long oval group* blending together at the edge*. The proven- 

 triculu* terminate* in a small bat strong gizzard of a flattened sphe- 



roidal form, measuring 1 inch 5 line* in length and the same in 

 the lateral muscle* were each half an inch in thickness. The gizzard 

 was lined with a moderately thick and yellow-coloured cuticle disposed 

 in loogttadiaa) ridges, the extremities of which projecting into the 

 pyloric aperture form a kind of valve, a* in the gizzard of the Ostrich. 

 In a Flamingo (ttawoled by Colonel Sykea, in which the duodenum 

 wa* blocked op bv two Urge tape-worms, the muscles of the gizzard 

 were 1 inch in thickn***. The duodenal fold extended towards the 

 left aid* 4 inches tram the pylorus. This inU*Une wa* 4 inches in 

 diameter. The pancreas, which occupied it* common situation be- 

 tween the two portion* of the fold, had a more complete peritoneal 

 covcrinc than tuiial The intestinal canal soon diminished in diameter 

 to S and then to 9 line*. The small intestine- formed an oval mass, 

 and wen dwpoaed in 21 elliptical spiral convolutions, 11 descending 

 toward* the rectum and 10 returning towards the gizzard in the 

 mtarspace* of toe preceding ; a disposition analogous to that of the 

 colon in Ruminant*. The villl of the intestine* were arranged in 

 longHadinal ting line*. Then were two cteca, each about ^ inches 

 l MOgth and 5 incbe* in diameter. The tevte* were about the size 

 of gram* of wheat, and were situated on the anterior part of the renal 

 la. The Utter bodies were about the sue of hazel-nut* 'Both 

 > glands were of a bright yellow colour. The fat of this bird is 



of a remarkable orange tint The principal diseased appearances were 

 in the lungs, which were filled with tulrclcs and voiuicii>. I wa* 

 much struck with finding the inner surface of the latter cavities, and 

 that of most of the smaller ramifications of the bronchial tubes, 

 covered over with a green vegetable mould or Mucor. As the indi- 

 vidual wa* examined within twenty-four hour* after it* death, it 

 seemed reasonable to conclude this Mucor had grown there during 

 the lifetime of the animal Thus it would appear that internal para- 

 sites are not exclusively derived from the animal kingdom, but that 

 there are EntO)>hyta as well as Jmtozoa.' [EsTorii YTA. ) 



" The tongue of the Flamingo is remarkable for its texture, mag- 

 nitude, and peculiar armature. It is almost cylindrical, but slightly 

 flattened above and obliquely truncate anteriorly, so as to correspond 

 with the form of the inferior mandible. The lower part of the trun- 

 cated surface is produced in a pointed form, and is supported beneath 

 by a small horny plate. The whole length of the tongue is 3 inches ; 

 its circumference 2J inches. Along the middle of the flattened supe- 

 rior surface there is u moderately deep and wide longitudinal furrow, 

 on either side of which there are from 20 to 25 recurved spines, but 

 of a soft and yielding horny texture, measuring from 1 to 3 lines in 

 length. These spines are arranged in an irregular alternate series, the 

 outer ones being the smallest, and these indeed may be considered 

 a distinct row. At the posterior part of the tongue there are two 

 groups of smaller recumbent spines directed towards the glottis. The 

 substance of the tongue is not muscular, but is chiefly composed of 

 an abundant yielding cellular substance, with fat of an almost oily 

 consistence. It is supported by a long and thin concave cartilage 

 articulated to the body of the os hyoides by a shallow ginglymoid 

 joint allowing of a free motion. Excepting the straight hyoglossi, the 

 muscles all terminate at the base of the tongue. The tendon* of the 

 former muscles run along the under port of the lingual cartilage, and 

 expand to be inserted at its extremity, where a few fibres again pro- 

 ceed forwards to the extreme point of the tongue." In the Museum 

 of the Royal College of Surgeons in London is a preparation of the 

 crop, proventi iculus, and gizzard of a Flamingo (/'. ruler, Linn.), and 

 a preparation of the tongue of that bird. 



Skull and manllblc* of the Flamingo. From a upecimcn in the Iloytl College 

 of Surgeons. 



Tongue of Flamingo. From a iptcimen in the Royal College of Surgeons. 



There were no Entixoa in the specimen dissected by Professor 

 Owen ; but he characteriaes the specie* found by Colonel Sykcs, and 

 above alluded to, as Ttrnia /i.//i>/, m : length 7 inches; breadth 

 5 lines ; thickness 1 line. (' Zool. Proc.,' 1832, pp. 141 and 143.) 



P. ntorr, Linn. (/'. Antiijaorum, Temminck). Its length from the 

 end of the bill to that of the tail is 4 feet 2 or 3 inches, but to tin- < n. I 

 of the claws sometimes more than 6 feet Bill 4\ inches long ; upper 

 m.indilile very thin and flat, and somewhat moveable ; the under inau- 

 dible thick, both of them bending downwards from the mid. IK ; 

 nostrils linear and placed in a blackish membrane ; end of the bill 

 as far as the bend black, thence to the base reddish-yellow, round 

 the base, quite to the eye, covered with a flesh-coloured cere ; neck 

 slender and of great length; tongue large, fleshy, filling the cavity of 

 the bill, furnished with twelve or more hooked papilla; on each side, 

 turning backwards; the tip a sharp cartilaginous substance. The 

 bird when in full plumage wholly of a most deep scarlet, except the 

 quill*, which are black. From the base of the thigh to the claw 32 

 inches, of which the feathered part takes up no more then 3 inches; 

 bare part above the knee 13 inches, and thence to the claws 13 

 inches ; colour of the bare parts red ; the toes furnished with a web 

 d. fj.ly indented. Legs notstraight, but slightly bent, the kin rather 

 projecting. (Latham.) 



The nest is formed of earth, and in the shape of a hillock, with a 

 cavity at top ; eggs two or three, white, of the size of those of a 

 goose, but more elongated. 



The flesh of this Flamingo i* pretty good meat : the young are 



