34 THE PASSENGER PIGEON. 



parts pale reddish-brown, tinged with blue. The changeable spot on the 

 neck is of less extent, and the eye of a somewhat duller red, as are the feet. 

 Length 15 inches, extent of wings 23; bill along the ridge f, along the 



gap f 



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 8 T %; 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 posterior aperture of the nares is ^- 

 inch long, margined with papillae. The tongue is 7^ twelfths long, rather 

 broad and sagittate at the base, with numerous small papillae, but at the 

 middle contracted to 1-| twelfths, afterwards horny, very narrow, induplicate, 

 and ending in a rather sharp point. (Esophagus, a g, 5-£ inches long, imme- 

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

 enormous sac, b c d, 3 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 exceedingly thick, the 

 left being 7i twelfths, the right S twelfths; the lower muscle prominent; the 

 tendons very large; the epithelium of a horny texture, of moderate thickness, 

 with longitudinal broad rugae, and two opposite longitudinal grinding sur- 

 faces, 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, i j k I m n, 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 cceca, m, are 

 extremely diminutive, being only 1.-J twelfths 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 a large 

 crop: its length is 2f inches; its breadth varying from 2\ twelfths to 1^ 

 twelfths; its rings 105, feeble; the last ring large, formed laterally of two 

 rings, with an intervening membrane. Bronchi of about 15 half rings, and 

 narrow. The lateral muscles strong, as are the sterno-tracheal, which come 

 off at the distance of \ inch. There is a single pair of inferior laryngeal 

 muscles going to the upper edge of the last tracheal ring. 



