234 



CROWNED PIGEONS. 



tei-rial appearance, very vascular : it was nearly 

 empty of food, having only a few grains of paddy 

 mingled with some quantity of mucus ; some scat- 

 tered grains of paddy were also seen in the mouth 

 and gullet, so it appears the bird had died 

 whilst in the act of feeding. There was much 

 yellowish fat about the crop, as well as other 

 portions of the body. 



Between the skull and the integuments, there 

 was much secretion of a serous fluid ; but I could 

 observe no muscular apparatus for raising or de- 

 pressing the crest. But underneath the crest, 

 between the skull and the integuments, was 

 much fat ; a thickening, as if of cellular mem- 

 brane ; and glands secreting the elegant and 

 delicate feathers forming the crest. 



The eyes and corresponding orbits were very 

 large ; indeed, I may say remarkably so, con- 

 sidering the size of the skull, the posterior por- 

 tion of which was very thick, and the brain of a 

 small size, in proportion to what would have 

 been expected from the external appearance of 

 the cranium. 



The lungs were soft and readily broken, as 

 well as the liver, although neither of them had 

 an unhealthy colour in their external appear- 

 ance. Upon the under surface of the latter 

 organ, there was a small and nearly oval body, 



