VIRGINIAN RAIL. 573 



equal, and 1 inch 2 twelfths long. The intestine is 19^ inches long, of 

 the uniform width of 2^ twelfths, and forming 9 folds. The coeca are 

 2^ inches long, 2 twelfths in their greatest width, 2\ inches from the 

 extremity. The cloaca is globular, 7| twelfths in diameter. 



The trachea is 3 inches long, much flattened, from 2 twelfths to 

 1^ twelfth in breadth ; its rings very narrow, faintly ossified, with four 

 contractions, one at the middle in front, another behind, and one on 

 each side, as in all the Rails, Gallinules, and Coots. The rings are 

 106 in number. Bronchi moderate, of 18 half rings. Lateral muscles 

 thin ; a very slender inconspicuous pair of inferior laryngeal muscles. 



VIRGINIAN RAIL. 

 Ballus virginianus, Linn. 

 PLATE CCV. Vol, III. p. 41. 



In an adult male, the width of the mouth is only 3 twelfths ; on 

 the palate are two papillate ridges, then anteriorly a single series of 

 strong reversed papillae, and towards the end a median ridge. The 

 tongue is 1 inch 2 twelfths in length, very slender, broadly channelled 

 above in its whole length, horny beneath, the tip narrow, thin-edged, 

 and slightly slit. The oesophagus is 3 inches 10 twelfths long, 3 

 twelfths in width ; the proventriculus ovate, 3^ twelfths in breadth. 

 The stomach is of moderate size, 10 twelfths long, 11 twelfths broad ; 

 its lateral muscles very large, as are the tendons, the lower muscle 

 prominent ; the epithelium dense, bright red, with numerous longitu- 

 dinal rugae, being thus less adapted for grinding than that of the Sora 

 Rail. The contents are numerous fragments of small shells, and re- 

 mains of insects. The lobes of the liver are very imequal, the left 1 

 inch, the right 1^ inch in length. The intestine is 18 inches long, its 

 average width 2| twelfths ; the cceca 1 inch 7 twelfths long, 2^ twelfths 

 in width, rounded at the end, 1 inch 10 twelfths from the extremity ; 

 the cloaca globular 10 twelfths in diameter. 



