PASSENGER PIGEON. 55S 



eggs measure one inch five-eighths in length, one inch one-eighth and 

 a half in breadth, and are nearly equally rounded at both ends. 



On my last visit to England I brought with me some live Pigeons, 

 which I presented to my generous and excellent friend John Heppen- 

 STALL, Esq. of Upperthorpe, near Sheffield, with the view of ascer- 

 taining whether they will also lay a single egg. 



An adult male preserved in spirits. Length to end of tail 17 

 inches, to end of wings 12f ; extent of wings 24, wing from flexure Sy^ ; 

 tail 8. 



The mouth is very narrow, being only 4^ twelfths in breadth, but 

 capable of being dilated to the width of 1 inch by means of a joint on 

 each side of the lower mandible. There are two thin longitudinal 

 ridges on the palate, of which the sides slope upwards. The poste- 

 rior aperture of the nares is ^ inch long, margined with papilla?. The 

 tongue is 7| twelfths long, rather broad and sagittate at the base, 

 with numerous small papillae, but at the middle contracted to 1^ 

 .twelfth, afterwards horny, very narrow, induplicate, and ending in a 

 rather shai-p point. (Esophagus, a g, 5^ inches long, immediately dilated 

 to 1 inch, and at the lower part of the neck enlarged into an enormous 

 sac, bcd,^ inches in breadth, and 2^ inches in length, a little contracted 

 in the middle ; with its inner surface smooth, and at the lower aperture 

 running into longitudinal prominent plicae ; in the rest of its extent, 

 the width of the oesophagus, ef, is about 10 twelfths. The stomach, 

 g h i, is a very large and strong gizzard, placed obliquely, 2 inches 2 

 twelfths in breadth, 1 inch 1 fourth in length ; its lateral muscles ex- 

 ceedingly thick, the left being Tj twelfths, the right 8 twelfths ; the 

 lower muscle prominent ; the tendons very large ; the epithelium of a 

 horny textm-e, of moderate thickness, with longitudinal broad rugae, and 

 two opposite longitudinal grinding surfaces, of a yellowish colour. In 

 the crop were found three entire acorns, and in the stomach fragments 

 of others, and three pieces of quartz. The intestine, ijklmn, is 4 

 feet long, 4 twelfths in width, at the narrowest part only 2 twelfths. 

 The duodenum, ij k, curves in the usual manner, at the distance of 3 

 inches. The intestine forms six folds. The coeca, m, are extremely 

 diminutive, being only 1^ twelfth in breadth ; they are 2 inches distant 

 from the extremity ; the cloaca, n, oblong. 



The trachea passes along the left side, as usual in birds having 



