178 Mr. T. C. Eyton's Notes on Birds. 



whole length of the lateral margins furnished with feeble bristles 

 intermixed with a few small spines ; a little posterior to the centre 

 is a row of strong spines placed transversely. The region of the 

 glottis and upper part of the oesophagus are also studded with 

 spines. 



Trachea of large and nearly uniform diameter throughout, slightly 

 contracted immediately above the inferior larynx ; rings forming it 

 large and strong, furnished with the usual sterno-tracheal muscles, 

 which are rather strong : a second pair branch from them to the 

 last ring of the trachea, between which and the upper ring of the 

 bronchipe is stretched a membrane, which these muscles give the 

 bird the power of rendering tense : bronchiae of moderate length ; 

 lungs very large. 



(Esophagus smallest at the upper extremity and gradually ex- 

 panding to the proventriculus, where it is double the diameter of 

 the upper end : proventriculus scarcely perceptible : stomach of mo- 

 derate size ; the epithelium presents a hard and granulated appear- 

 ance ; a few fragments of shells mixed with pebbles were found in 

 the stomach. 



The intestinal canal is of moderate size and length, and has its 

 exit from the stomach very near the oesophagus. The caeca are 

 long, largest and rounded at the extremities ; cloaca small ; liver 

 bilobed ; gall-bladder large. 



ft. in. 



Length of intestine, from stomach to cloaca 5 10 



Length of caeca 6 



Length of rectum 5 



Length of stomach 2 



Breadth of stomach 1^ 



Greatest diameter of oesophagus near the proventriculus 1 

 Least diameter of oesophagus at the upper extremity . . Ql 



Skeleton very strong and heavy, particularly the bones of the 

 head. Sternum of moderate size, very convex on its lower surface ; 

 the posterior margin indented by two moderate-sized lateral fissures ; 

 the processes forming their exterior margins continued backwards 

 beyond the central portion of sternum, which has a slight indentation 

 opposite to the extremity of the keel. The keel shallow, not con- 

 tinued : the posterior margin of the sternum, the inferior edge 

 slightly arched, anterior edge scolloped ; the inferior extremity, 

 to which the os furcatum is attached, slightly produced forwards be- 

 yond the other portions of the sternum. 



Coracoids of moderate length, strongly articulated with the ster- 

 num. 



Os furcatum arched anteriorly, the rami much flattened trans- 

 versely. 



Pelvis long, narrow, broadest posteriorly. Dorsal line nearly 

 straight. The posterior extremities of the os pubis turned abruptly 

 downwards from their junction with the ischium and bent slightly 

 towards each other. Obturator and ischiadic foramina very large 

 and oval, the former the longest and narrowest. 



