THE COMMON CORMORANT. 421 



have no external nares in any stage, and although some state that in the 

 adult they exist, and are extremely small, others allege that there none at all. 



A young female, shot in the end of October, on being carefully examined, 

 was found to present the following characters. 



The length to the end of the tail was 36 inches, to the end of the wings 

 29f, to the end of the outer toe 34j; the extent of the wings 55; the weight 

 5 lbs. 10^ oz. 



Bill along the ridge and unguis black, the sides brownish-grey; the lower 

 mandible brownish-grey, dusky on the sides at the middle, the bare skin at 

 the base yellow, as is the gular sac. Upper part of the head and hind neck 

 brownish-black; the back greenish-black, its fore part, the scapulars and the 

 wing-coverts brownish-grey, the feathers edged with greenish-black, and an 

 outer margin of brownish-white, most conspicuous on the secondary coverts; 

 the quills brownish-black, the secondaries tinged with grey on the outer 

 edge; the tail greyish-black, the shafts greyish-blue. Upper part of the 

 throat brownish-white; the rest of the neck greyish-white, mixed with 

 brown; the breast and abdomen white, the sides greenish-black; the lower 

 surface of the wings dusky; the lower tail-coverts greyish-brown, the 

 feathers before them brownish-black. The feet greyish-black; the inner 

 edge of the middle claws very slightly pectinated. The foot, when stretched 

 to its full extent, measures, from the tip of the first to that of the fourth 

 claw, 5i| inches. 



The tongue is oblong, carinate above, T 7 ^ long, T 3 2 broad. The palatal slit 

 or aperture of the posterior nares is linear, l-^ long, with a soft flap on each 

 side. The mouth is 1 T 5 2 wide; the bill 3i along the back, 4 along the edge 

 of lower mandible. The aperture of the ear is circular, only half a line in 

 diameter. 



On blowing into the posterior nares no air passes. The internal cavities 

 are separated by a longitudinal membranous dissepiment; each cavity is 

 transversely divided by a membranous partition, but neither of the chambers 

 thus formed has any external communication by the mandible. The 

 lachrymal duct, which is wide, passes obliquely forward and downward into 

 the anterior cavity. On gradually slicing the horny covering of the man- 

 dible over the place where the nostril ought to be, its position is found 

 clearly defined, there being a slight discontinuity of the bone at that part; 

 but on cutting farther all traces disappear, the original aperture being closed 

 by ossification. 



The aperture of the glottis has thick prominent rounded edges, which 

 unite behind and terminate in three knobs, and there is a small transverse 

 flap on each side behind. 



The heart is triangular, depressed, obtuse, 2| inches long, its greatest 



