CLUCKING-HEN. 359 



species, Rallus longirostris, except that the nasal 

 grooves are nearly obliterated in the Aramus. The 

 feet also are similar. The sternum is that of neither 

 Rallus nor Ardea, but is closely like that of Pso- 

 phia. 



A female was brought me on the 1st of April, 

 in the afternoon, which had been just shot as it 

 was standing in shallow water at Bluefields river- 

 head, fishing. The freshness of the subject enabled 

 me to examine it carefully. The stomachic sac 

 consisted of a gizzard separated by a narrow con- 

 striction from a long proventriculus, about twice 

 as large as the gizzard, and of a sub-oval, flattened 

 form. This was divided by the structure of the 

 parietes into two very distinct parts, the upper 

 portion being much thickened, and studded with 

 small round glands, so as to look like shagreen. 

 The lower and larger portion was muscular, the 

 inner surface having longitudinal rugce. The giz- 

 zard was comparatively smooth within, and thinner 

 than the proventriculus. The latter was stuffed 

 with small water-snails (Ampullaria), divested of 

 the shells, but not, in all cases, of the opercula, 

 which filled even the oesophagus almost to the 

 fauces. In the upper part of the proventriculus, 

 the snails were little changed; in the lower they 

 were macerated and more slimy, but in the giz- 

 zard there was nothing but a hard mass of black- 

 ish, almost homogeneous matter, nearly dry by the 

 expression of its moisture. The intestinal canal 

 measured fifty inches; (in another specimen forty- 

 two inches ;) about an inch from the cloaca, the 



