242 



THE AMERICAN OYSTER-CATCHER. 



distance from the anus 3 

 inches; the cloaca, k, glo- 

 bular. This bird was 

 nearly ready to lay eggs. 

 One of them has a diame- 

 ter of 1 inch, which is the 

 full size of the yolk, the 

 albumen not being added 

 until it has entered the 

 oviduct. 



The trachea, which is 5^ 

 inches long, gradually ta- 

 pers from the width of A\ 

 twelfths to that of 2f 

 twelfths. Its rings are un- 

 ossified, 115 in number. 

 The bronchi are of mode- 

 rate length, wide, of about 

 20 very thin cartilaginous 

 half rings. The lateral 

 muscles are strong; the 

 sterno-tracheal slips come 

 off close to the inferior 

 larynx, which has no pecu- 

 liar muscles. 



In a male, the oesophagus 

 is 8 inches long, its greatest 

 width near the lower part 

 of the neck 1 J inches. The 

 stomach is small, being 1^- 

 inches long, and 1 inch in 

 breadth. The intestine 

 measures 4 feet 4 inches in 

 length; its average width 

 4 twelfths. The cceca 4 

 inches long. 



