1868.] DR. J. MURIE ON THE GULAR POUCH OF OTIS. 473 



ture, anJ, like it, of a dark colour. The mucous surface of the floor 

 of the mouth under the tongue and between the rami of the lower 

 mandible had a linear median row of small glandular openings (some 

 dozen in number) in its middle. And laterally, or nearer the man- 

 dibular bones, were more numerous irregularly placed minute puncta, 

 likewise the apertures of secreting crypts, glandulee suhlinffuales. 

 The interior of the gular pouch, however, was free from any such 

 follicles. 



The only other point worthy of mentioning, in immediate con- 

 nexion with the structure of the gular pouch, is the questionable 

 occurrence of a special sphincter muscle for closing its aperture. 

 According to my dissection of the parts which fig. 1 illustrates, the 

 hinder portion of the sac is devoid of any appreciable muscular en- 

 velope, and appears only covered by the skin and subcutaneous 

 tissue. In front of this, and situated at what may be considered 

 the neck of the pouch, a delicate layer of somewhat transverse mus- 

 cular fibres passed across and backwards (see fig. 1, Pm.). 



This film of muscle doubtless represents an anterior portion of the 

 so-called platysma rayoides of Mammalia ; or it may be part of the 

 constrictor colli found by Prof. Owen* in the Aptery.x, if not the 

 true platysma, also present in that bird. 



Habits and Inferences. — Concerning the habits of this specimen 

 of Burchell's Bustard, Mr. Bartlett, our Superintendent, and the 

 keeper, George Misselbrook, who have had more opj)ortunity of 

 watching the bird while alive than I, related to me the following 

 memoranda. That they had never heard it utter any note ; that 

 on no occasion had it been seen to inflate or dilate the throat in the 

 manner often witnessed in the common Bustard ; that as regards 

 disposition it appeared remarkably quiet and inoffensive, living in 

 perfect harmony with the other birds in the same enclosure. 



The points of importance elucidated from dissection and the ob- 

 servations on the living bird resolve themselves into these three : 



1. It would seem that some specimens of Burchell's Bustard {O. 

 kori) possess a "gular pouch" identical in position and structure 

 with that of the Great Bustard (O. tarda). 



2. This sac in the young African male bird in question is very 

 small compared with what other observers have found in the Euro- 

 pean species of the same genus. 



3. The noiseless manner of the bird and want of inflation of this 

 throat-pouch may respectively be dependent on the age or attributed 

 to the absence of sexual desires. 



Pouch in the living O. australis. — My attention having thus 

 specially been called to the Bustard's curious gular pouch througli 

 the examination of the above specimen, I was naturally the more 

 pleased to find what I think may be termed an exaggerated example 

 of this organ in the Australian Bustard. 



A male specimen of Otis australis, Gray, was received from the 

 Acclimatization Society of Sydney in April 18G(i. During the same 

 month a second supposed male Australian Bustard was purchased. 

 * Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. iii. pp. 278-27'.'. 



