AJSFATOMT OF THE PIGEON. 531 



ureters. In neither sex in birds are the genital ducts pro- 

 vided with accessory glands. 



As usual among birds, the head is approximately top- 

 shaped. The eyes are very large and much exposed, as be- 

 comes evident upon dissecting off the skin as in the figure. 

 The external ear is a mere circular opening, entirely covered 

 during life by the feathers. The side of the cranium may 

 be removed so as to expose the brain, with the large smooth 

 cerebral hemispheres (C), the convoluted cerebellum {Gb), 

 and the much smaller medulla {Md). To study the brain 

 satisfactorily, it must be removed from its case. A view of 

 it from the side is given in Fig. 459, A, and a view from 

 above in the same figare at B. The medulla oblongata 

 {M) appears as hardly more than the enlarged upper end 

 of the spinal cord ; upon its dorsal surface there is a trian- 

 gular depression IV, the fourth ventricle, which is par- 

 tially concealed by the cerebellum {Ob), a large mass mark- 

 ed by transverse ridges and imperfectly divided into three 

 lobes, thus exhibiting, both in its size and its complication 

 of structure, a great advance over the reptiles. The corpora 

 quadrigemina or bigemina* (Q) project as two large lobes far 

 out on the sides and down the base of the brain ; their posi- 

 tion and great size are characteristic for the whole class. 

 The opiic thalami, which intervene between the bigemina 

 and the hemispheres, are relatively small ; they enclose the 

 third ventricle and have a funnel-shaped downward exten- 

 sion, to which the pituitary body is attached, as to a stalk. 

 The cerebral hemispheres {He) form more than half of the 

 whole brain ; their surfaces are entirely without convolu- 

 tions, but each hemisphere has a small projection, the olfac- 

 tory lobe {01), upon its anterior and inferior extremity. 

 The cavities of the hemispheres or the lateral ventricles are 

 very large and extend also into the olfactory lobes. The 

 greatly thickened inferior walls of the hemispheres are 

 termed the corpora striata. Birds differ from mammals in 

 having only a rudimentary /orwia; and no corpus callosum. 

 The description of the cranial nerves is purposely omitted. 



* Also called the optic lobes, middle brain, and mesencephalon. 



