AMERICAN FLAMINGO. 261 



deeply and widely grooved, forming a cavity 1 inch in depth at the cur- 

 vature, the tip narrowed but obtuse, and with a flattened broadly ovate 

 surface above. The tongue, which lies in this deep groove, by which it 

 is confined so as to be capable of little motion, is a fleshy, somewhat com- 

 pressed, decurved body, 2 inches 2 twelfths long, measured along its 

 upper median line, having at its base on each side three series of very 

 pointed papillae, and on each side about 20 conical recurved, horny, acu- 

 minate papillae, about ^ inch in length ; between which is a narrow me- 

 dian groove. These papillae terminate at the cm-vatiu-e, beyond which 

 is a lanceolate flattened horny surface, with a thin elevated margin, 

 the organ at that part tapering to an obtuse point, horny on its lower 

 sm-face. The nostrils are 1^ inch long ; the aperture of the ear very 

 small, 2^ twelfths in diameter, that of the eye 4^ twelfths. In this 

 specimen the whole of the thoracic and abdominal viscera have been 

 removed. 



The trachea, which is narrow, little flattened, and with its rings 

 firm, passes down in front of the vertebras to the distance of 12 inches, 

 and is then deflected to the right side for 11 inches more. The diameter 

 at the upper part is 4f twelfths, and it gradually enlarges to 5| twelfths ; 

 at the lower part of the neck its greatest breadth is 7 twelfths. It 

 then passes over the vertebra, continuing of the same breadth, enters 

 the thorax, contracts at its lower part and is compressed, its diameter 

 being 4 twelfths. The number of rings is 330. The bronchi are 

 wide, short, compressed, of about 15 half rings. 



The aperture of the glottis is 6 twelfths long ; at its anterior part 

 is a transverse series of 12 short papillae directed forward, and behind 

 it are numerous pointed papillae, of which the middle are largest. The 

 muscles of the upper larynx are two, one passing obliquely from the 

 edge of the marginal cartilage to the edge of the thyroid bone, for the 

 purpose of opening the apertvu-e of the glottis ; the other passing from 

 the fore part of the edge of the thyroid bone to the base of the cricoid 

 and arytenoid, for the purpose of pulling these parts forward, and 

 thus closing the aperture. The contractor muscles are of moderate 

 strength, and the trachea is enveloped in numerous layers of dense cel- 

 lular tissue. The sterno-tracheals, which are of moderate size, are in 

 part a continuation of the contractors, which moreover send a slip to 

 the inferior larynx. 



A Female also preserved in spirits is much smaller. The oesophagus, 

 Fig. 1, abed (diminished one-third) is 2 feet 1 inchlong,only 3 twelfths in 



