264 
AMERICAN - WIDGEON. 
because it has in certain stages a green band on the side of the head, which 
the European bird is said not to have. The mirror is the same in both ; the 
wing-coverts are white or grey in both ; the crown is white, or cream- 
coloured, or orange-brown, in both ; but in the European the head and neck 
are described as reddish-chestnut, and in the American as yellowish-white. 
Now, in fact, American birds sometimes have the head and neck red, and 
European birds sometimes have the green streak on the side of the head. 
In short, on comparing specimens from America, with others from India and 
Norway, I cannot perceive any essential difference. At the same time, not 
having traced our Widgeon through all its gradations, and being equally 
unacquainted with all those of the European and Asiatic Widgeon, I cannot 
positively affirm that Anas Americana is identical with Anas Penelope. 
A male preserved in spirits presents the following characters. 
The roof of the mouth is deeply concave, with a median prominent line, 
and numerous irregular small tubercles on the sides, with several larger ones 
at the fore part. Two large branches of the supra-maxillary nerve run in 
this ridge, as in other Ducks. The tongue is 1 inch 5 twelfths long, with 
numerous straight, pointed papillae at the base, a median longitudinal groove, 
and a thin broadly rounded point. The oesophagus, a b c d, is 10 inches 
long, narrow, dilating a little on the lower part of the neck, where its 
diameter is 5 inch. The proventriculus, be, is 8 twelfths broad ; its glands 
oblong, 2 twelfths in length, and occupying a belt 1 inch 4 twelfths in 
breadth. The gizzard, efg, is extremely large, of a nearly regular elliptical 
form, placed obliquely, its length 1 inch 8 twelfths, its breadth 21 inches ; 
its lateral muscles extremely large, the left, e, 1 inch 2 twelfths in thickness, 
the other, /, 1 inch and 1 twelfth ; the inferior muscle, g. only 1 twelfth. In 
the oesophagus are contained slender leaves of grasses ; in the gizzard some 
of these leaves and other vegetable matters, small seeds, and a great quantity 
of sand. The cuticular lining or epithelium is dense, slightly rugous, much 
thickened on the spaces opposite the middle of the lateral muscles. The 
duodenum, g h i, is 5^ inches in its first curve, g h , and is then reflected foi 
7 inches, passes backwards under the kidney and forms^ several convolu 
tions. The intestine, g h ij k is 6 feet 2 inches long, 5 inch in diametei 
in its duodenal portion, gradually contracts to 4 twelfths at the distance of 
18 inches from the pylorus, again enlarges to 5 twelfths, and near the rectum 
to 7 twelfths. The rectum is 45 inches long ; the coeca 8 inches, theii 
diameter for nearly 2 inches being 2 twelfths, after which they are enlarged, 
their greatest diameter being 4 twelfths. The liver is large, the right lobe 
being inches long, the left 25. 
The trachea, m, is 75* inches long, of moderate diameter, the rings round- 
ish and ossified, about 140 in number, its breadth at the top 45 twelfths, 
