GOLDEN EYE. 



63 



toe and exterior edge of the inner one broadly finned; sides of the 

 bill obliquely dentated; tongue covered above with a fine thick 

 velvetty down of a whitish color. 



The full plumaged female is seventeen inches in length, and 

 twenty-seven inches in extent ; bill brown, orange near the tip ; 

 head and part of the neck brown, or very dark drab, bounded 

 below by a ring of white; below that the neck is ash, tipt with 

 white; rest of the lower parts white; wings dusky, six of the se- 

 condaries and their greater coverts pure white, except the tips of 

 the last, which are touched with dusky spots; rest of the wing 

 coverts cinereous, mixed with whitish; back and scapulars dusky, 

 tipt with brown; feet dull orange; across the vent a band of cine- 

 reous; tongue covered with the same velvetty down as the male. 



The young birds of the first season very much resemble the 

 females ; but may generally be distinguished by the white spot, or 

 at least its rudiments, which marks the corner of the mor^th. Yet, 

 in some cases, even this is variable, both old and young male birds 

 occasionally wanting the spot. 



From an examination of many individuals of this species of 

 both sexes, I have very little doubt that the Morillon of English 

 writers (Anas glaucion) is nothing more than the young male of 

 the Golden-eye. 



The conformation of the trachea, or windpipe of the male of 

 this species, is singular. Nearly about its middle it swells out to 

 at least five times its common diameter, the concentric hoops or « 

 rings, of which this part is formed, falling obliquely into one ano- 

 ther when the windpipe is relaxed ; but when stretched, this part 

 swells out to its full size, the rings being then drawn apart ; this 

 expansion extends for about three inches; three more below this 

 it again forms itself into a hard cartilaginous shell, of an irregular 

 figure, and nearly as large as a walnut; from the bottom of this 

 labyrinth, as it has been called, the trachea branches off to the 

 two lobes of the lungs; that branch which goes to the left lobe 



