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Show 1877.] AN ANATOMICAL PECULIARITY IN CERTAIN STORKS. 711 however, are they otherwise than flattened, broad, and blunt-tipped, none anywhere being circular and slender like those in the ileum of R. unicornis', the existence of which I have had the opportunity of verifying. They never exceed *3 of an inch in length. Numerous Peyer's patches exist in the ileum, as may be inferred from fig. 2 (p. 709) which is a representation of a portion of the inner surface of the small intestine quite close to the ileo-caecal valve. Such being the case, R. sondaicus differs from R. indicus in that the papillae of the ileum are short, flat, and broad, instead of long, cylindrical and narrow, "like tags of worsted " (Owen). The caecum coli is a short blunt cone, with the diameter of its base as great as its length (1 foot 3 inches); and comparing the disposition of the colic flexures and proportionate diameter, I found them identical with those of the Sumatran species as I have figured them2. The liver wants the gall-bladder, and differs but little from that of the Sumatran species. Fig. 3 (p. 710) is an outline-sketch of its abdominal surface, which, when compared with that of Ceratorhinus sumatrensis (P. Z. S. 1873, p. 102), shows that the right central lobe is larger than the right lateral, instead of smaller. The spigelian lobe is equally long and slender. The pancreas is of good size and fairly concentrated. The uterus is bicorn, each cornu measuring 8 inches, at the same time that the corpus uteri is 3 inches long. Each ovary is situated in a pocket of the peritoneum. 5. Note on an Anatomical Peculiarity in certain Storks. B y A, H. G A R R O D , M.A., F.R.S., Prosector to the Society. [Eeceived October 1, 1877.] The Ciconiidae, whilst presenting great uniformity in their myology, differ among themselves in one feature which seems to me to be of sufficient interest to deserve special record, as it may aid those who study their external characters to arrive at a more satisfactory determination of their affinities among themselves. The following are the species I have had the opportunity of dissecting :- Ciconia nigra. Xenorhynchus australis. alba. senegalensis. boyciana. Leptoptilus crumeniferus. maguari. argala. Abdimia sphenorhyncha. Tantalus ibis. In all these birds, with the exception of Abdimia sphenorhyncha and Xenorhynchus senegalensis, I have found the ambiens muscle, which courses obliquely through the front of the capsule of the knee, ' Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. iv. pl. xii. fig. 3. 2 P. Z. S. 1873, pp. 09, 100. |