638 



CANCROMA. BOATBILL. 

 Generic Character. 



Emtrum longum, latum, de- 

 pressum, ovatum, sulca- 

 tum, supra carinatum ; 

 maiidibula superiore cym- 

 bal resupinatae forma, apice 

 adunca ; inferior e recta, 

 plapa, in medio membra- 

 nosa, apice subito acuta. 



Nares parvse, ovatae, in sulco 

 sitae. 



Pedes tetradactyli, fissi; di- 

 giti antici basi membrana 

 coaliti. 



Beak long, broad, depressed, 

 ovate, sulcated, carinated 

 above; the upper man- 

 dible like a reversed boat, 

 its tip bent down; the 

 under straight, smooth, 

 membranaceous in the mid- 

 dle, the tip abruptly acute. 



Nostrils small, ovate, placed 

 in a groove. 



Legs four-toed, cleft ; the an- 

 terior toes with their base 

 connected by a membrane. 



Cancroma. Linn., Gmel,, Lath,, Cm., VieiL 



COGHLEARIUS. BHsS, 



TL HE beak of the Boatbill is of a curious form, a& 

 its name seems to imply : it is by some likened to 

 a boat with its keel upwards, and by others to the 

 bowls of two spoons placed with the hollow parts 

 together : the upper mandible has a prominent 

 ridge at the top, and on each side of this a long 

 channel, at the bottom of which the nostrils are 

 placed; these are oval, and situated obliquely. 

 Only one species is known. 



