222 



DK. P. CHALMERS MITCHELL ON THE 



GRUIFORMES. 



. In Ocydromus australis (fig. 41) what I find to be the typical Ralline 

 conformation of the intestinal tract is presented. The duodenum is a straight, narrow 

 loop of moderate length. Meckel's tract is drawn out into a definite number of loops, 

 all of which are fairly straight. The first of these, marked " " in the figures, succeeds 

 the duodenum ; the second (" b " in the figures) is axial and bears on its distal side a 

 large Meckel's diverticulum. The third, marked " c," like the others is a narrow loop 

 belonging to the drainage of the middle mesenteric vein ; and the fourth is a well-marked 

 supra- duodenal loop drained by more than one bridging factor of the duodenal vein. The 



Fig. 41. 



ex. 



-OC.2. 



L-OC.I. 



-S.DT. 



Intestinal Tract of Ocydromug australis. 

 a, 6, c, the three loops of Meckel's Tract characteristic of the Gruiformes. Other lettering as before. 



long caeca are closely attached to this last loop of Meckel's tract. The rectum is straight 

 and of moderate length. This conformation is found in all the members of the Rallidaj 

 that I have examined, e. g., Aramides ypecaha, Crex pratensis, Oallinula phcenicura, 

 lonornis marfinicus, Porphyrio cceruleus, and P. poliocephalvs. I described this condition 

 of the gut correctly in a former paper, but in the drawing of Crex (26. fig. 13) the third 

 minor loop has been omitted by an unfortunate mistake, so that the description does not 



