ALIMENTARY TRACT OF CERTAIN BIRDS. 



59 



duodenal loop. In another specimen (text-fig. 13, p. 57) the dis- 

 position of the jejunal and ileic regions was exactly reversed*. 

 The duodenal loop passed immediately into a straight descending 

 limb bent sharply upon itself at its lower extremity, and 

 then passed into a laxly coiled and rather long section of gut 

 unattached anywhere to the duodenal loop and ended eventually 

 in the colon. The laxly coiled region of the gut lay to the left 

 side instead of to the right, and there was, in fact, in this 

 individual an exact reverse of normal conditions, 



Text-fii?. 15. 



Intestinal tract of Gymnorhina leuconota. 

 Letteriiis as before. 



It is thus evident that the intestinal tract of the Gallinaceous 

 birds is very uniform throughout the group and that it is con- 

 stituted upon a primitive plan which is very little, if at all, in 

 advance of that which characterises Apteryx among the Stru- 

 thious birds. The only difference is, indeed, that the ileo-duodenal 

 ligament is longer among the Gallinaceous birds — that more of 

 the ileum is attached to the duodenum. But this condition is 

 more than paralleled by Struthio^ where, as already mentioned, 



* I compare these later (p. 79) with the normal conditions occurring in Fraiercula. 



