82 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON THE 



Tachyhaptes ; Dr. Mitchell figures five. Tlie two loops are wider 

 than those of Tachyhaptes, but in the same way connected with 

 each other up to the very end. Like Dr. Mitchell, I could find no 

 Meckel's diverticulum. 



Among the Ralli there is apparently but little modification of 

 the intestinal characters from genus to genus. Although I have 

 not examined the actual species which Hunter has described, it is 

 clear that his descriptions are in all probability perfectly correct. 

 Of the " White Fulica "yPorphyrio alhus, Cuv,] " he writes * : " The 

 duodenum passes down as usual, and then up, somewhat higher 

 than at beginning, m.aking a sweep backwards to the loins and 

 commencing jejunum. This passes down on the right side, then u^p, 

 making a fold upon itself ; then a second fold, as also a third, 

 which last is attached to the first fold : all these are pai-allel to 

 ench other. The intestine then passes down, more in the middle 

 of the abdomen, further than the former three folds, along with 

 the duodenum." This fully tallies in the number of loops with 

 Dr. MitchelFs statement and with my own observations ; these 

 latter are, I think, worth mentioning in brief, since they further 

 emphasise the uniformity of this group. 



In Hydrornis alleni, Rallus ahhotti, Povphyrio melanonotus , and 

 P. madagascariensis the ileic and duodenal loops are pretty well 

 the same length and are attached hj a duodeno-ileic ligament 

 nearly to the end of both loops. In all of these forms there are, 

 as both Hunter and Mitchell assert for species examined by 

 them, three loops only in the jejunal region of the gut. The 

 last of these three loops is the shortest of the three in all of 

 the species which I have just mentioned. In Porphyrio (both 

 species) I found a very conspicuous Meckel's diverticulum, which, 

 as Mitchell correctly represents, lies near the bottom of the 

 middle loop. Finally, I may remark that this middle loop, at least 

 in Porphyria, is free from the other two loops (as John Hunter has 

 stated), which are connected by mesentery. 



Aramides ypecaha quite a.grees with these other types and, as 

 in Porphyrio, the pancreas extends to the very end of the 

 duodenal loop. In this form also the first of the three jejunal 

 loops is the widest, and Meckel's diverticulum occurs at about 

 the middle point of the middle one of the three loo])s. 



Among the Grues I have examined among oXh&as Anthropoides 

 paradisea and Balearica, which do not agree very closely in the 

 nature of their intestinal convolutions with those of G7-us virgo, 

 as figured by Mitchell. In both these Cranes there a,re three, and 

 only three, jejunal loops, of which the first (as correctly indicated 

 by Mitchell) is much the Avidest. The two following are longer 

 and of equal length. On the first of these close to the blind end 

 of the loop there is (in Balearica) Meckel's diverticulum. Mitchell 

 figures the ileic loop as trifid. I find that in both the Cranes and in 

 Grus japonicus which I have dissected (see text-fig. 18, p. 65) the 



* ' E!<says and Olisei'vations,' p. 317. 



