386 



DR. R. W. SHTJFELDT's MORPHOLOGICAL 



palatine heads quite as much in proportion as we find them in 

 adult skulls. 



The 'premaxiUmy and mandible are also largely formed in 

 bone, more especially their tips and backward-extending limbs. 



Eemoving the skin from the back, I carefully count the ver- 

 tebrae of the column two or three times, distinguishing 35 seg- 

 ments, from which we may judge that 3 vertebrse are incor- 

 porated in the pygostyle of the adult. 



"Without any difficulty whatever, and by the aid of a 2-inch 

 objective, I clearly make out the arrangement of the muscles of 

 the fore limb, and distinctly perceive the tendon into which the 

 tensor patagii brevis is inserted. Even still better can be seen 

 the muscles of the thigh, where the biceps seems to arise by a 

 double head from the pelvis, but otherwise the myological for- 

 mula here is the same as I stated it above for the adult Trochilus. 

 The plantar tendons also confirm all that is recorded in a pre- 

 ceding paragraph. 



Coming next to the sternum, I find that even at this tender 

 age the posterior margin of the body of the bone is rounded and 

 unnotched. Six costal ribs articulate, on either side, with a 

 " costal border." 



At the side of the neck in this specimen the oesophagus was 

 much distended by a small spider and two small beetles ; but I 

 believe that this represents food that the little bird had not 

 swallowed at the time of its death, and that naturally no enlarge- 

 ment takes place in the oesophagus at the point in question. 



We note that the bifurcation of the tracliea is situated fully 

 halfway up the neck towards the throat in this nestling, so that 

 if the upper moiety of the anterior cervical region happens to be 

 covered with the finger at the time of microscopical examina- 

 tion, one is momentarily impressed with the notion that the 

 bird has two tracheae, so unusual is this arrangement in the Class 

 Aves. 



Upon opening the thorax and abdomen, it disclosed the fact 

 that the ster no-later ales muscles of the trachea are not present, 

 and I am inclined to believe that Trochili do not possess them. 

 Further, we find the heart is in about the same position and 

 relative size as it is in the adult ; but the lobes of tJie liver are 

 proportionately much smaller, so much so that we can easily 

 examine the intestines and stomach below their hinder borders 

 without disturbing them, which is not possible in the adult. 



On the other hand, the stomach is j)roportiouately much larger 



