96 AMERICAN WHITE PELM3AN.
toes iu ti»! same plane, all coiinoctcd b | iieticulated webs, the first
shortest, the second an inch shorter than the fourth, which is considerably
longer than the third, scaly at the base, soutellate over the -rest
of their extent. Claws short, strong, curved, rather blunt, that of
thsgjttiddle to® witìtóg1 sharp pectinate inner edge.
Feathers of the head and neck exceedingly si&all, slender, and of a
downy texture, those on the foro part of the- head a little more'coriijract
; >on the napo they are elongated, acuminate, and form a longitudinal
narrow crest, which runs down the back of thfe-Vieck. The feathers
in general are lanceolate, acuminate, and of irtoderately dense
texture ';<Hhose at the junction of'the neck and breast anteriorix are
s t S e r and mòre elongated. Wings wry long, rather narrow, rounded ;
the- l'iiiniorus and cubitus very long in proportion ; primaries much
curved; secondaries rather narrow, also incurved toward the end, thlr,
inner extending when the wing is closed far beyond the-tips of the fraStf.
lruiries. Tail short, broad, rounded, of turentv-four feathers, which are
liroad and abruptly acuminate-
Hill bare, space about'the eye, and feat, rich bright yellow, becoming
brighter before their departure for their breeding grounds; claws
yellowish-brown ; tip of the bill brighter than the M&t. Iris white, in
younger birds dusky.' ' The general colour of the plumage is puro white ;
the crest, the elongatc.d feathers on the fore part óf the breast, and
those near thè edge of the cubitus, pale yellow. S h e alula, primary
coverts, and primary quills, black, the shafts white, becoming brownishblack,
toward the end- The iimer ten secondaries are white,-the- -rest
black, more or loss tipped with greyish-white., their bai t s white, that
' colour mure extended on the inner than the outer, tlu: shafts .if all the
quills white beneath, those of the secondaries tinged' with grey. -
.Dimensions of an old male, l.engtli to end of tip<61f inches, to
end of wing (il J , to .-ml of claws (¡(if, from the ipSmt. of the bill to
the carpal joint K) ; 'extent of wings 103; wing from Hwxure 21 • ;
length of cubitus 15; tail (¡i ; bill'along the ridge 13f, along the edge
of lower, mandible 15; breadth of l ow» mandible at the. base 2 ; bare
part of tibia 1 , tabus ; middle'toe 4 | , its claw f ;, outer toe 4J-,
its claw A ; inneii-toe,'3, its (-.law ¡\ ; hind toe 1-J, its claw t V Weight
1 7 - J l b .
The female is rather less, and in as far as I am warranted by the
AMERICAN; VVHIT14 PELICAN7. 9 7
esamini'ti'on of s e v e r a l individuals in .-¿ting, is destitute of the horny
crës-t of the upper mandible.
Amale, shot near Grande Ternyin the Gulf of Mexico, examined.
The skinisvery thin, but the .subcutaneous cellular tissue is extremely
developed,, forming .a thick reticular layer over the whole body. The
internal cells are also of vast size, the'right hepatic being 4 J inches
long, the'right abdominal by -1 : the left ahdmninal. 5 J, by 4 ; the
clavicular 'coll is not forced! by a single cavity, but of numberless
cellules, like those of the subcutaneous tissue.; The heart n IB triangular,
pointed, 3 inches long,'2 inches and 10 twelfths in breadth;
the aorta branches at the basé, as in other birds, sending off the two
trunks which separate into the subclavian and carotid. The lobes of
the liver are extremely unequal, the right, o, being 4 inches in length,
and 2J in breadth, while' the lef t ,^, « 'only 2 inc.hes long, and l i inch
broad.
The inaudibles are entirely covered with skin, of which'the subcutaneous
ttóue'is wanting, thè cutis condensed, and the cuticle in large
irreguiair longitudinal plates, leaving the surface somewhat rough and
scaly. The crest-like excrescence oil the ridge of the upper mandible
is not formed of bone, nor otherwise connected with the osseous surface,
which is smooth and continuous beneath it, than by being placed
upon JSplike 'any othei 'pta-t of the skin, and When softened % immersion
ill a liquid may be bent a little to¡either side. I t is composed
intern,'lily o f erect slender plates of a fibrous texture, externally of
liornyiibr«;s,' - which are erect: on the sidesi,''.: and longitudinal on the
broadened ridge ; Thc.-,o libres being continuous with the cutis and cuticles!
Thè skin of the mandible is continuous with that of the pouch,
of which the structure is as follows. Externally there iis a layer of cuticle,
liètieath which is the cutis', extremely thin, and with the cuticle
thrown into longitudinal rugae when contracted. The internal surface
is also of cuticle, and beneath it is a layer of cutis. Between these
two very thin layers of skin, is interposed an equally thiii layer, composed'of
two sets of very slender muscular fibres, separated from:each
other, and running in two opposite directions. The outer fibres run
in fasciculi from the lower and inner edge of the mandible ; those from
its base pass downwards, those arising mòre anteriorly pass gradu-
Vpi,. lv. «