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 one inch, which is the 
full size of the yolk, the 
albumen not being added 
until it has entered the 
oviduct. 
The trachea, which is 
inches long, gradually ta- 
pers from the width of 4i 
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 lh 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 coeca 4 
inches long. 
