240 COMMON GAN.NKT.
bladder, % is. very large., oi' an »Willi« form. roiïuifcd at both e»ds,.l inch
and .8 twelfths long'.
The trai'hfa is 12 iiu-Jic« locp, m«sdera4ely ossified, round., its diamtmir
at the top 7 twvÉt'fhs, gradually narrowing ta 4 twelfth* ; the
rings 124 the lywyr 1 united* Tile bronchi are lwgu. their iHametw
greater than that oi'th« lower part, of the trachea ; of 2h cartilaginous
half-rings. The lateral or contractor muscles oi" the trtiehi-» are oi' moderate
strength : the1 slerno-tracheals strong a pair of inferior laryngeal
muscles attached to thu giaridular-looking; ydl'.>*vi.-,li-whU.o bodies
»sorted iip.oii Una membrane- between the, first and se.e.ond rings of the
bronchi. :
The olfactory rie.i'vo comes off from the extreme ¡ulterior point of
the cerebrum, enters a canal in the >pungy tissue of the bone, and runs
in it close to. the septum between the eyes for 10 twelfths of an inch,
with .a slight curve.. It then enters the nasal .cavity, which, i? of an irregular
triangular t'cirm, l.j inch long- at the external or palatal aperture,
10 twelfthsjn heiglit. The supramaxillm'\Ju'am:h of the fifth
pair runs along the upper edge of t he orbit, and by a canal in $hespongy
tfesifgjof the bones, enters the great cavity of the upper mandible, keeping
nearer its lower, surface,: and these branching. This cavijy appears
to have no communication with the- nasal ; nor has the latter any passage
towards the , obliterated rxtwnul iMstrils. The lachrymal duct
passes obliquely inwards from the anterior comer, of the .eve, and enters
the nasal i-avitj by an aperture j twelfth, in diameter, near its anterior
margin.
In the cloaca \vai found a solid calculus, half an inch in diameter,
of an irregular form, white within, os-toTnally pale, yellowish-brown,
and marked with grooves, impressed by the ,a.ction of the sphincter ani.
The digestive and respiratory organs of the, American (iannet arc
thus precisely similar to those, of til« European. In. external form,
proportions, and. (Srars, there are no appreciable differences« Tie
young in all stages are similar, r The: flight, voice,, general habits, and
all other circumstances, are the same; What, then, shall we say to those;,
who have pretended that the American bird differs from the European ?
Merely this, comparé the two, outside and inside, shew us dnjferenc.es,,
and then we shall judge if they be sufficient to indicate different species
; but until you have dune this, do not imagine that a mere
Americana N'ob ,11' is enough to satisfy the world on this or any .similar
point;'
9 2*1 )
S H O V E L L E R DUCK.
A.V.4S ci.ypkata. LINN.
PLATE COCXXVtl. Malé »>» Kg male,
Thk Oreples of Louisiana aré well 'acquainted with this specie», under
the name of " Mieik$$ the etymology óf which I am unable to
trace. In that country it arrives, both from the westward and from
the eastern inland districts, along with the Blue-winged Teal; or at the
commencement o'l'iautumri. It associates with that species, to which, as
well as to the GrooiiTwiiiged, the .Mallard, the Dusky Duck, and the
Cadvvall, I should consider it very nearly allied, notwithstanding the
peculiar; expansion of its bill. The Shovélle«, remain in the lower
parts of Louisiana during the «hole oi' the winter, and depart along
with the Blue-wings between tlii!;'(md of April and the middle of May.
There, in early spring, they resort chiefly to ponds, where, they feed on
grasses and tfaar seeds, as well as at times a small kind of onion, the
tmlbs of which they pul i up from the moist grounds on their margins.
This may perhaps to some seem strange, but I have long since made
up my mind to learn from Nature, and believe what is, rather than
what philosophers imagine ought to be. Having fed through the
night, they collect;towards dawn into large bands, and betake themselves
to the margins of sand-bars on the Mississippi, where they spend
the greater part 'of. the day. At other times I have found them swimming
or wading áÍqs|| the muddy margins of ponds and streams, immersing
the head and part of the neck while alternately moving the
bill to either sides, jn the manner- of the Roseate Spoonbill, sifting as it
Wl!re the contents of the soft mud or water, and ejecting the substances
unfit for food; Repeated inspection of the stomach has shewn me that
the Shoveller is not, more nice as to the quality of. its food than the
Mallard or any other of the Duck tribe, for I have found in it leeches,
small fishes, largo ground-worms, and snails. They never however,
I believe, feed by semi-immersion, like the Mallards and Teals ; nor
do they dive unless hard pressed, or when in a sportive mood, when
they will dash for a moment beneath the surface. • -
vol.. iv. , ft