An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 2: An Account Of The English Colony In New South Wales, From Its First Settlement In 1788, To August 1801: With Remarks On The Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. Of The Native Inhabitants Of That Country. To Which Are Added, Some Particulars Of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From The Mss. Of Lieutenant-Governor King; And An Account Of The Voyage Performed By Captain Flinders And Mr. Bass.Collins, David
History
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 2: An Account Of The English Colony In New South Wales, From Its First Settlement In 1788, To August 1801: With Remarks On The Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. Of The Native Inhabitants Of That Country. To Which Are Added, Some Particulars Of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From The Mss. Of Lieutenant-Governor King; And An Account Of The Voyage Performed By Captain Flinders And Mr. Bass.
Collins, David
New South Wales -- Description and travel
The eyes are very small; they are situated more upon the upper part of
the head than is usual, and are directly behind the loose edge of the
cuticular flap belonging to the bill. The eyelids are circular orifices
concealed in the hair, and, in the male, are with difficulty discovered;
but in the female there is a tuft of lighter hair, which marks their
situation.
The external ears are two large slits, directly behind the eyes, and
much larger than the orifices of the eyelids.
The teeth, if they can be so called, are all grinders; they are four in
number, situated in the posterior part of the mouth, one on each side of
the upper and under jaw, and have broad flat crowns. They differ from
common teeth very materially, having neither enamel nor bone, but being
composed of a horny substance only, embedded in the gum, to which they
are connected by an irregular surface in the place of fangs. When cut
through, which is readily done by a knife, the internal structure is
fibrous like the human nail: the direction of the fibres is from the
crown downwards.
Between the cheek and the jaw, on each side of the mouth, there is a
pouch, as in the monkey tribe, lined with a cuticle. When laid open, it
is 1½ inches long, and the same in breadth. In the female it contained
a concreted substance, the size of a very small nut, one in each pouch:
this, when examined through the microscope, was found to be made up of
very small portions of broken crystals.
Besides these grinding teeth, there are two small pointed horny teeth
upon the projecting part of the posterior portion of the tongue, the
points of which are directed forwards, seemingly to prevent the food from
being pushed into the fauces during the process of mastication; which
circumstance Mr. Home thinks peculiar to this animal: in the tongue of
the flamingo there is a row of short teeth on each side, but not in any
other bird that he has seen.
The fore legs are short, and the feet webbed. On each foot there are five
toes, united by the web, which is very broad, and is continued beyond the
points of the toes nearly an inch. On each toe there is a rounded
straight nail, which lies loose upon the membrane forming the web.
The hind legs are nearly of the same length as the fore legs, but
stronger. Each foot has five toes with curved claws, and webbed; but the
web does not extend beyond the points of the toes.
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