AMERICAN SCOTER DUCK. 121 



ones anteriorly ; about 40 on each side of the lower mandible. The 

 tongue is 1 inch 10 twelfths long, its greatest breadth 9^ twelfths ; 

 the papillae at the base long and pointed, the sides furnished with two 

 rows of bristles, the tip thin-edged and rounded. The aperture of the 

 glottis, and that of the posterior nares, are beset with minute papillag. 

 The oesophagus is 10^ inches long, of moderate width, its greatest dia^ 

 meter being 10 twelfths ; that of the proventriculus 1 inch. The sto- 

 mach is a strong gizzard of moderate size, 1^ inch in length, and 1 inch 

 10 twelfths in breadth ; its left lateral muscle 10 twelfths in thickness, 

 the other 9 twelfths ; the epithelium tough, dense, forming two round- 

 ish slightly concave grinding surfaces. The proventricular glandules, 

 which are rather small, of a roundish form, 1^ twelfth long, form a 

 belt 1 J inch in breadth. The contents of the stomach are particles of 

 quartz. The intestine is 4 feet 11 inches long, rather wide, its diame- 

 ter pretty uniform, and about 4^ twelfths. The coeca, which come off 

 at the distance of 4 inches from the extremity of the gut, are 8 inches 

 in length, 2^ twelfths in their greatest diameter, with the extremity 

 obtuse. 



The trachea is 6^ inches long, flattened, its breadth 5 twelfths, 

 contracting at the lower part to 4 twelfths. Its rings are but partially 

 ossified, being cartilaginous at the back part. It is entirely destitute of 

 those remarkable dilatations seen on the trachea of FuUgula perspi- 

 cillata and F. fusc'a. The bronchi, however, are of very large size, 

 being 1 inch 4 twelfths long, their greatest breadth \ inch. The infe- 

 rior larynx is very small, being only 3^ twelfths in breadth, in which 

 respect it differs from that of most other male ducks. It is indeed very 

 remarkable that this species, so nearly allied to the Velvet and Surf 

 Ducks, should present no dilatations, either at the upper larynx, or in 

 the coiu-se of the trachea, as are seen in them. This fact is one of 

 many tending to shew that the strictest affinity in some points of struc- 

 ture is not always accompanied with a strict resemblance in some of 

 the organs supposed to exhibit generic peculiarities. The trachea of 

 the male of this species merely resembles that of the female of the 

 other species. Its rings are about 100 ; those of the bronchi 30. The 

 contractor muscles are strong, and terminate at the commencement of 

 the lower lai-ynx. There are cleido-tracheal and sterno-tracheal mus- 

 cles, but no inferior laryngeal. 



