YELLOW-CROWNED HERON. 295 
- prown, streaked with darker; the upper parts light grey tinged with 
brown, the feathers edged with yellowish-white, and tipped with a 
triangular spot of the same ; the primaries and their coverts with the 
tail darker, margined with dull white. The fore part of the neck, and 
all the lower parts, dull yellowish-grey, each feather with its central 
part dark greyish-brown ; lower tail-coverts unspotted. 
Length to end of tail 234, to end of claws 293; extent of wings 40. 
Weight 1 lb. 7 oz. 
Adult Male from South Carolina. 
' The upper mandible is slightly concave, with a median prominent 
ridge, the palate convex with two ridges; the posterior aperture of the 
nares linear, with an oblique papillate flap on each side; the lower 
mandible deeply concave. The tongue is of moderate length, measur- 
ing 12 inch, emarginate at the base, trigonal, flat above, tapering to a 
point. The cesophagus, which is 12 inches long, gradually diminishes in 
diameter from 14 inch to 1 inch. The proventriculus is 13 inch long, 
its glandules cylindrical, forming a complete belt, the largest 3 twelfths 
long. The stomach is roundish, 2 inches in diameter, compressed ; its 
muscular coat thin, and composed of large fasciculi ; its tendinous spaces 
nearly 1 inch in diameter; its inner coat even, soft, and destitute of 
epithelium. There is a small roundish pyloric lobe, 4 twelfths in dia- 
meter ; the aperture of the pylorus is extremely small, having a diame- 
ter of only half a twelfth. The intestine is long and very slender, 6 
feet 3 inches in length, its diameter at the upper part 3 twelfths ; di- 
minishing to 2} twelfths, for about a foot from the extremity enlarged 
to 5eighths ; the rectum 6} inches long ; the coecum 5 twelfths long, 1; 
twelfth in diameter at the base, tapering to 1 twelfth, the extremity 
rounded. The stomach contained fragments of crustacea. 
The trachea is 8} inches long, cylindrical ; the rings 154, and ossi- 
fied ; its diameter at the top 53 twelfths, diminishing in the space of an 
inch and a half to 3 twelfths, and so continuing nearly to the end, 
when it contracts to 24 twelfths. The last rings are much extended, 
and divided into two portions, the last transverse half ring arched, and 
5 twelfths in length. The bronchi are in consequence very wide at 
the top, gradually taper, and are composed of about 25 half rings. — 
The contractor muscles are very feeble ; the sterno-tracheal slender ; 
a pair of inferior laryngeal muscles inserted into the first bronchial 
ring. 
