ARDEIN^E. 121 



the head oblong, much compressed, flattened in front. 

 Bill long, straight, stout, tapering, compressed ; upper 

 mandible with the dorsal line nearly straight, the ridge 

 broad at the base, narrowed in the rest of its extent, the 

 sides sloping, and more or less convex, the edges thin, 

 the tip acute ; lower mandible with the angle very long 

 and narrow, the dorsal line nearly straight, the sides 

 sloping outwards, the edges thin, the tip acuminate. 

 Mouth rather wide, and capable of being much dilated, 

 in consequence of the flexibility of the erura of the lower 

 jaw ; palate anteriorly with two papillate ridges, and a 

 median prominent line running to the point of the man- 

 dible ; tongue long, slender, trigonal, tapering, sagittate 

 at the base, with a large pointed papilla on each side, 

 the tip acute ; oesophagus very wide in its whole length, 

 as is the proventriculus, of which the glands form a broad 

 belt, having at its upper margin numerous large crypts 

 in groups ; stomach a very large rounded sac, having the 

 muscular coat extremely thin, the inner soft, and also 

 very thin ; a globular pyloric lobe ; intestine very long, 

 and extremely narrow ; at the commencement of the rec- 

 tum an oblong small coecum, but no lateral appendages ; 

 cloaca very large, and globular. Trachea considerably 

 flattened, and gradually narrowed ; the last four wings 

 halved ; a single pair of inferior laryngeal muscles, ex- 

 tending from the lateral muscles to the last ring ; bronchi 

 wide, with large membranes. Eyes of moderate size, 

 generally surrounded by a bare space. Nostrils linear, 

 nasal 'membrane small. Aperture of ear small, and 

 roundish. Tibise very long, generally bare to a great 

 extent ; tarsi long, and rather stout ; toes four, long, 

 scutellate above ; the first slender, and nearly on a level 

 with the anterior ; claws short, or moderate, arched, com- 

 pressed, arid pointed. Plumage generally full, but not 

 close ; feathers on the lower part of the neck, fore part 

 of the back, and scapulars, elongated ; wings very large, 



