| OCR Text |
Show 472 MR. A. H. GARROD ON THE AUSTRALIAN BUSTARD. [June ] 6, made me doubt the correctness of Dr. Murie's inference, that, because the neck of Eupodotis australis becomes distended much during the sexual season, therefore there is a gular pouch. This individual bird, which formed the subject of Dr. Murie's plate (P.Z. S. 1868, pi. xxxvi.), died on M a y 11, 1874, having shown off in its wonted manner during the few preceding weeks. A n excellent opportunity was thus afforded for the decision of the question whether or not this specimen had a gular pouch. Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 1. The oesophagus, trachea, and gular pouch of a specimen of Otis tarda, seen from the side. The crop is here drawn as in the actual preparation, projecting backwards, and not forwards as usual. Fig. 2. The oesophagus and trachea of the specimen of Eupodotis australis here described. The oesophagus is much dilated, and, like that of the Pouter Pigeon, can be distended with air by the living bird. N o trace of a pouch or crop is to be seen. There was no gular pouch. There was no sublingual orifice. The frenum linguae was well developed, it being necessarily quite absent in the adult male of Otis tarda. H o w unsafe therefore is it to infer that, because the neck distends and depends during the "show-off," there must be a sublingual pouch. It is quite possible that two effects, |
