332 REPTILIA. 



runs obliquely across the bill, which is white : half-way between that 

 and the point of the bill there is another depression, but shallow. There 

 is a white stroke on each side of the head that runs from each eye 

 forwards towards the upper part of the bill, and terminates at the bend. 

 It has a long thin body, with a very long sternum. The ribs come as 

 far as the pubis, so that the passage into the abdomen [in the skeleton] 

 is very small 1 . The membrane that divides the abdomen into two cavi- 

 ties is very thin, so that you can see all the intestines through it. 



The stomach, taking in the glandular part of the oesophagus, is much 

 the shape of the human caecum, and is about 4 inches long in the whole. 

 The lower end, which is the true stomach, is by much the strongest, 

 and has a centre tendon on it. 



The duodenum makes the usual turns ; then passes back and much 

 higher than its origin, and passes down again and soon makes a turn 

 upon itself, which fold is coiled upon itself in a conical spiral form. After 

 this it makes some loose convolutions, and passes up behind the stomach ; 

 then is bent down and forms the rectum. The caeca are very near the 

 anus, and about -|ths of an inch long. The rectum terminates in a 

 pretty large bag, by an opening like the os tineas. This bag was filled 

 with a yellow matter, which was gritty like sand. There was no trace 

 of a penis, yet it was a cock bird. 



The hepatic duct was at the place where the gall-bladder lies upon 

 the duodenum ; and the cystic about half an inch further on. A pro- 

 cess of pancreas runs up and is joined to the spleen. 



[Class Reptilia, Cuv. ; Tricoilia, Hunter.] 



General observations on the Tricoilia. 



The following divisions are those that have three cavities to their 

 heart, and which, therefore, I call Tricoilia 2 . 



This constitutes a large class of animals composed of different tribes, 

 each tribe of different genera, and each genus of different species. 

 Whether there are any varieties in any of the species, I do not know. 

 If there be, it must be owing to countiy, climate, etc., not to cultivation, 

 as in many quadrupeds and birds. 



As the Tricoilia are capable of retaining the same air in their lungs 

 for a considerable time, and are likewise capable of going a considerable 

 time without air in their lungs, much more so than those that have four 

 cavities to the heart, it gives them a power of living some time without 

 breathing ; and therefore they can live under water without drawing 



1 [Osteol. Series, No. 1164.] - [Vol. i., p. 25.] 



