49 



but rapidly diminished to a breadth of three lines, of which size it 

 continued to the commencement of the proventriculus ; its position 

 was to the right of the cervical vertebra, and a little behind and to 

 the right of the trachea, to which latter it was closely connected. 



The muscular coat of the asophagus was about half a line in thick- 

 ness, and its fibres were arranged in two layers ; iu the internal 

 layer the fibres presented a longitudinal arrangement, while in the 

 external their disposition was circular. Tiie length of the tube was 

 about eight inches, and its dilatibility was indicated by the lining 

 membrane being disposed in narrow longitudinal ruga. 



The proventriculus was one inch two lines in length and half an 

 inch in diameter, and situated in the axis of the (esophagus, of which 

 it formed an immediate continuation ; the gastric glands were de- 

 veloped around its entire circumference, their orifices opening in the 

 meshes of a reticulated surface, produced hy the longitudinal ruga 

 of the oesophageal membrane, changing their character after entering 

 t\ie proventriculus, and bi-anching, as it were, over its surface. 



The stomach was small, measuring less than two inches both in 

 its longitudinal and transverse diameters : in shape it had more 

 the character of a membranous stomach than of a gizzard, being 

 of a regular oval-rounded form. The muscular fibres were not ar- 

 ranged in the definite masses called digastrici and laterales, but 

 radiated from two tendinous centres of about two-thirds of an inch 

 in the longest diameter. Upon the inner surface of the gizzard were 

 two protuberances, one at the lower and one at the upper end of the 

 posterior part. The situation of the latter was such with respect 

 to the cardiac and pyloric openings, that Mr. Owen conceives it 

 would tend to close these openings during the forcible contraction 

 of the fibres at the upper jDart of the gizzard, and thus probably in 

 some measure regulate the passage of food into this cavity, by re- 

 taining a portion in the proventriculus, until the gizzard should have 

 become emptied of its previous contents. 



A narrow pyloric passage of about three lines in length extended 

 from the upper extremity of the gizzard into the duodenum ; there 

 was no sphincter present, and no pyloric pouch, as in the Ostrich, 

 but the cuticle was continued into the duodenum about three lines 

 beyond the pylorus. 



Upon removing the abdominal muscles, the two lobes of the liver 

 were seen to occupy the anterior part of the cavity, extending from 

 above the notches of the sternum, to midway between the sternum 

 and the cloaca. 



The stomach was entirely concealed by a large omental adipose 

 process, continued from that of the peritoneum, and upon the longi- 

 tudinal division of which so much of the stomach was exposed as 

 projected between the lobes of the liver ; its position was towards 

 the left side of the abdomen. 



The space below the stomach and liver was occupied by long and 

 simple loops of intestine, extending obliquely and nearly parallel 

 with each other from the upper and right to the lower and left side 



