RUSTY GRAKLE. 483 



dense, horny, slightly rugous, with two roundish slightly concave grinding 

 surfaces. The oesophagus contains two grains of maize, and the stomach 

 is distended with fragments of the same, together with portions of 

 husks and grains of sand. The intestine, fg h ij k, is of moderate length 

 and rather wide ; being 16 inches long, and from 4 twelfths to 2^ 

 twelfths wide ; the duodenum, f g h, curves in the usual manner, re- 

 turning at the distance of two inches ; the cceca, i, which come off at 

 the distance of 1^ inch from the extremity, are \h inch long, but only 

 I twelfth in width ; the rectum gradually enlarges into an oblong 

 cloaca, y, about 5 twelfths in width. 



The trachea is 3 inches long, moderately flattened, 1^ twelfth in 

 breadth, its rings firm, and about 60 in number, with 2 additional di- 

 midiate rings. The lateral muscles are slender, as are the sterno-tra- 

 cheal ; there are four pairs of large inferior laryngeal muscles. The 

 bronchi are of moderate size, with about 15 half rings. 



In the structure of the mouth and digestive organs, this bird shews 

 some affinity to the Crows and Starlings, more to the Buntings and 

 Finches, and an intimate relationship to the Icteri. The position which 

 it occupies in the List of the Prince of Musignano is therefore correct. 

 But the Icteri and their allies are more closely related to the Passe- 

 rine birds properly so called, than to either the Crows or Starlings, and 

 being essentially husking birds, with a dilatation on the oesophagus, 

 are not members of the families of Cormnw or Stv/rninm, as he has made 

 them. 



RUSTY GRAKLE. 



QUISCALUS FERRUGINEVS, BoNAP. 

 PLATE CLVII. Vol. II. p. 325. 



This species is found on the shores of the Columbia River, and 

 in all the districts intervening between them and those of the Gulf 

 of Mexico, at least in winter and the early part of spring. Dr Town- 

 send, who prociu-ed some on the Columbia, did not inform me whether 

 it breeds there. Northward, according to Dr Richardson, its sum- 



