B I R 



found in the IntTian coeh, or curajfow, whicli alfo liad a dlftinft 

 infertion in tlie intelline. 



The part of the intcftine?. where the biliary diifts penetrate, 

 is commonly at the conclufion of the fird doubling or con- 

 volution, which occurs after the origin of the inteftine from 

 the ftomach ; or, in other words, it might be faid to be at 

 the termination of the duodenum. The bile duft of the 

 ojlrich is very large and enters the inttftine near the 

 ftomach. 



As in mammalia, the paffage of the ducts through the 

 coats of the duodenum is fomewhat oblique, and they open 

 upon a papilla or prominence of the internal coat, thus 

 gaining the effeil of a valve, and preventing the regurgitation 

 of their fluid. In addition to which, tht lujlard \% djfcribed 

 as having a fold of the inner coat of the inteftine project- 

 ing over the orifices of the biliary and pancreatic duels. 



Plate IV. znAJig. 5. in the jinafomy of Birds, exhibits the 

 origin, courfe, aud termination of the biliary duels in the 

 gooj'e ; f the hepatic duft, formed of two branches in the fiffure 

 of the liver : g the origi.i of the cyitic datt from the end of 

 the bag, appearing internally like a puckered hole; /!> its 

 courfe behi'd the hepatic dudl, beyond which it terminates 

 in the inteftine ; i i the firft convolution of the inteftine ; i 

 the porti -n from which the gizzard has been cut away ; / 

 the commencement ol the fecond fold of the inteftJnes, or the 

 beginning of the jejunum. 



Both the cyftic and hepatic dufts of the gull become 

 {lightly enlar;red j'ift at their infertion in the inteftine, which 

 is produced n st fo much from a dilatation of their cavity as 

 a thickening ot thei' coats The more minute ftruclure and 

 the functions of the bile duels are in every refpecl analogous 

 moft probably to thofe of tiie fame parts in otiier animals. 

 A very curious obfcrvation has been made on this fubjedl by 

 Borrich'us, which deferves to be mentioned. He opened a 

 pigeon while yet aiive, and difcovercd in the hepatic duel a 

 puifatory motion, by which it was aittraately diftendcd and 

 emptied of its contents , the intervals between each contrac- 

 tion were fomewhat longer than they occur between the 

 fyftole and diaftole of the heart. If this had been related 

 by a lefs accurate anatomift than Borr'chius, one would be 

 led to fufpect that a blood-vcffcl had been miftaktn for the 

 bihary duft ; but he watched the moment that the adlion of 

 the heart fubfidtd, and ftill the dudl was alternately emptied 

 and diftended with a green fluid as before. 



The gall-bag is occafionallv wanting inb'rds, and it fliould 

 be remarked, that this irregularity is jiot governed by any 

 general rules of ftruclure, as two fpccies which agree in every 

 other refpecl, are obferved to differ in this; nay, accord ng 

 to the French academicians, the gall-bag is not conttantly 

 found even axongft the individuals of the fame fpecies ; thus 

 in diflcfting fix demoifelks of Niimidia [arde.i virgo), it was 

 abfent in two of them, and the others had it very fmall. 

 Amongft ten finlados, alfo, they only met with the gall- 

 bag twice, and differing very much both in fize and fhape ; 

 and in thefe inftances where the bag was abfent the hepatic 

 dutt was found ver)' large. 



The fpecies known to be deprived of the gall-bag, are the 

 oflrich, the parrot, the pigeon, the bittern, the crane, and the- 

 euciotu ; in fome of thefe, dilatations of the ducts have been 

 obferved which may be fuppofed to fupply in a degree the 

 office of the gall-bag, which appears from thii, as well as 

 other circumftances, to be fimply a refervoir for the bile, and 

 not an organ for working any change in the properties of 

 that fluid. Being, therefore, a convenient, rather than a 

 necetTary ftrufture, its ahfence need not be expefied to be 

 marked with any clear relation to the other fuaitions of the 

 animal economy. 



B T R 



No experiments have yet been inftituted with the deffg* 

 of procuring a chemical analyfis of the bile of birds ; it is, 

 moft probable, however, that thefe would d-fcover nothing 

 peculiar, as in fenfible properties, fuch as colour, tafte. Sec. 

 it perfectly refcmbles the bile of mammalia. 

 T/jc Pancreas 



Confifts of two diftintl gland-, for the moft part, in birds. 

 Their common fituation is between the coil of the firft in- 

 teftines, to which they are very firmly bound by their peri- 

 toneal coat ; they have a very elongated figure, furnilhtd with 

 decided fides, angles, and edges, which arc irregylarly notched 

 or indented. Thefe clefts mark out imperfectly the original 

 lobules of which the glands arc compofed. They appear to 

 polTcfs the fame internal llruclure which is defcribed in mam- 

 malia, though not fo palpably as to be difcovered without 

 fome pains ; to a flight obfcrvation their fubftance fetms to 

 be a white homogeneous mafs, inftead of that congeries of 

 lobules, cells, blood-vefFeli, and dufl?, which really enter into 

 its conipofition. Each of the glands produces a principal 

 duct, which feparately runs in the reflection of peritoneum, 

 into which intelline they are inftrtcd, at a variable diftance 

 from each other, in the manner of the two biliar)' duels. 

 Their entrance is, with fcarce an exception, adjacent to that 

 of the bile dufts, and often fo near that one projedlion of the 

 internal coal of the inteftine ferves for the termination of all 

 the dufts. 



See Plate IV. in the Anatomy of Birds, \njtg. 5. the letters 

 turn indicate the two pancreatic glands of xhe go-fe, a little fe- 

 parated from each other, and their other peritoneal connec- 

 tions, to exhibit .nore clearly thtir figure ; n n the dufts from 

 each gently curved in their paifage to the inteftine. The 

 pancreatic and biliary dufts are at a confiderable diftance in 

 the ofnich and the gull. In the firft, as already mentioned, 

 the hepatic dudl enters the inteftine near the ftomach ; but 

 the pancreatic dudl paffes as ufual into the laft portion of the 

 duodenum. The pancreatic duels of the gull penetrate the 

 duodenum at its commencement, whilft the biliary prefene 

 nearly the common fituation. It is not very unufual for 

 thefe dutls to enter the inteftine alternately, or for the two 

 pancreatic to pafs between the two biliary ; this may be ob- 

 ferved in the eagle, the heron, S;c. 



Confiderable varieties have been defcribed in the number, 

 external figure, and magnitude, S:c. of the pancreas in dif- 

 ferent birds. The French academicians have reprelented it 

 as a fingle gland, with only one duCl in the ojlricli and cajfo- 

 luary. In the latter it was extremely fmall in proportion to 

 the fize of the bird, being only two inches long, and its duft 

 a line and a half in length. In the eagle it appeared to be 

 fingle, although in one inftance it fent forth two duiSs, and 

 in another three ; it was enlarged and round at the head, at 

 which place it was perforated by the hepatic duc^ in its way 

 to the inteftine. They alfo defcribe that this gland varies in 

 different iiidi\-idua!s of the^fame fpecies ; thus in one curajfooj 

 they found the pancreas double, and in another fingle. De 

 Graef in moll yiiu/ found three pancreatic duels, and alfo in 

 the pigeon, and Bartholin obferved only one pancreatic duft 

 in the peacock. 



The Spleen 



Has been defcribed as occupying different fituations by 

 different authors. Thus Cuvicr, and other anatomift-, have 

 ftated its common pofition to be the middle of the mefentery. 

 The French academicians found it clofely adhering to the 

 fide of the ventricle, in one fpecies of eagle (falco chry- 

 f'elos); and in another (falco halia'elos),'\l was met with under 

 the right lobe of the liver ; and Severinus mentions the fpieen 

 of the crow being fituated upon the firft inteftine. In every 

 bird, however, which we have examined with the view of 



afccr^ 



