482 



PURPLE GRAKLE. 



found them breeding westward of the mouths of the Mississippi, as far 

 as the Texas. 



A male preserved in spirits mea- 

 sures to end of tail 11 ^ inches, to 

 end of wings 8|, to end of claws 10 ; 

 wing from flexure 6 ; tail 5 ; extent 

 of wings 17i. 



The mouth is rather narrow, its 

 width being 6^ twelfths ; the pa- 

 late ascending, with two papillate 

 ridges, the space between which 

 and the margin of the posterior na- 

 sal apertm-e is also papillate. The 

 latter is 6 twelfths long, linear, 

 and margined with strong papillae. 

 There are three ridges on the an- 

 terior part of the roof of the mouth, 

 of which the middle is much 

 stronger, at the base large, pro- 

 minent, and hard, being similar to 

 the knob observed in the Buntings, 

 but much more elongated. The 

 tongue is slender, 9 twelfths long, 

 emarginate and papillate at the 

 base, grooved above, horny toward 

 the end, slightly lacerated, and slit 

 at the tip. The oesophagus, ahcd, 

 is 4^ inches long, 5 twelfths in 

 width at the commencement ; then 

 for the length of nearly two inches 

 dilated to 7| twelfths ; on enter- 

 ing the thorax contracted to 4 

 twelfths. The stomach, d e, is of 

 moderate size, round, a little com- 

 pressed, moderately muscular, the 

 left muscle 3 twelfths, the left 

 2^ twelfths thick ; the epithelium 



