THE COMMON AMERICAN PARTRIDGE. 65 



Similar to the adult male in the general distribution of the colours; but 

 the white of the head and throat bright reddish-yellow, the black of the 

 fore-neck and sides of the head deep brown, the under parts less pure and 

 more dusky, and the tail of a duller grey. 



Adult Female. 



The female resembles the young male, but is more decidedly coloured, 

 the bill darker, the head of a more uniform and richer reddish-yellow, the 

 sides of the neck spotted with yellow and black. 



Length 9 J inches, extent of wings 14. 



Young Female. 



The young females are somewhat smaller and lighter in their tints than 

 the young males. 



Very Young Birds. 



Bill brownish-yellow. Iris light hazel. The general colour of the upper 

 parts light yellowish-brown, patched with grey; sides of the head dusky. 



In a male preserved in spirits, the roof of the mouth is covered posteriorly 

 with large flattened papillae, and has a very prominent median ridge ante- 

 riorly; its width is 5J twelfths. The tongue is triangular, fleshy, emarginate 

 and papillate at the base, with one of the papillae on each side very large. 

 The oesophagus, Fig. 1, a e, which has at first a width of 4 twelfths, forms 

 an ovate oblique crop, b c, 1 inch 2 twelfths in its greatest length, and 9 

 twelfths in breadth, which, together with the oesophagus, lies on the right 

 side of the neck; it then passes obliquely to the left side, forms a proven- 

 triculus, d e, of an oblong form, 5 twelfths in width, with very large 

 cylindrical glands arranged so as to form a belt ^ inch in breadth. The 

 stomach, e f g, is a very large and strong gizzard, broader than long, and 

 placed obliquely, its length 1 inch, its breadth \\ inches; the left muscle 3^ 

 twelfths, the right 5 twelfths thick, the lower muscle very thin, but promi- 

 nent; the tendons very large; the epithelium very dense and horny, longi- 

 tudinally rugous; the grinding surfaces concave. The proventricular glands 

 are 3 twelfths in length, the upper inclining downwards, the lower perpen- 

 dicular. The liver is rather small, the right lobe 1 inch 1 twelfth in length, 

 the left divided into two lobes, of which the anterior is 10 twelfths, the 

 posterior 1 inch in length. The intestine, g h k, is of great length and 

 width, the former 26 inches, its average diameter being 2|- twelfths. The 

 duodenum, g h i, curves round the lower edge of the stomach, returns at the 

 distance of 4|- inches, ascends to the liver, which has two ducts, but is 

 destitute of gall-bladder, then forms seven curves, and terminates in the 

 rectum above the stomach. The coeca, Fig. 2, b c, come off at the distance 

 of 2i inches, and are A\ inches in length; their width at the commencement 

 3 twelfths, their greatest width A\ twelfths, their extremity obtuse and con- 



