3056 Tue ZooLocist—May, 1872. 
flexure of the bill is lateral, the bird is enabled to follow up 
retreating insects, by making the circuit of a water-worn stone 
with far greater ease than if it had been furnished with the straight 
beak of the plover, or the long flexible scoop of the avocet. 
The inspection of these specimens must clear away any little 
cloud of doubt that might remain on the minds of persons unfamiliar 
with the bird, and convince them that this singular form of bill, so 
far from being an accidental deformity, is a beautiful provision of 
Nature, which confers on a plover-like bird the advantage of being 
able to secure a share of its food from sources whence it would be 
otherwise unattainable. 
October 14.—Since the above paper was written, an opportunity 
has been sought of visiting a favourite habitat of the Anarhynchus, 
as an examination of the head of the bird was desirable. 
The mandibles are connected by a membrane, fringed with a 
tough black border, forming itself, when the beak is closed, into a 
slightly projecting fold at the gape; the upper mandible (or roof of 
the mouth) is armed with a treble row of very fine spines, set like 
the teeth of a saw, pointing to the base of the mandible; the 
tongue, when at rest, lies well within the lower mandible,—it is 
partly sulcate in form, tapers to a very fine point, is much shorter 
than the beak, leaving a vacant space of six lines from its extremity 
to the end of the lower mandible; the base is furnished on either 
side with a few spines (three or four), planted in the same direction 
as those in the roof of the upper mandible; the thick portion of the 
tongue is indented with four or five very slight longitudinal furrows, 
terminating in the channel into which the tongue now resolves 
itself till it ends at the very acute point; this sulcate form is 
attained by the edges being raised. 
From this peculiar form of tongue, it may be observed that no 
hindrance is presented by that organ to the sucking up of water; 
the spines would prevent the escape of the most slippery or minute 
prey, which could be crushed by the closing of the beak and the 
pressure of the tongue against the upper mandible, the water 
finding ready egress. 
The tongue of C. bicinctus is altogether different in form. 
(To be continued). 
—— eT 
