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304
ANSERES.—ALCADÆ.
birds of this Family; some of which roam hundreds of miles out to sea.
Genus Fratercula. (Briss.)
This is a remarkable genus, in which the beak rivals, in its development, the monstrous proportions which are seen in the Toucans and Hornbills. This organ, shorter than the head, is
BEAK OF PUFFIN.
higher than its length, somewhat triangular in outline, very much compressed, with both mandibles arched to the point: the culmen or ridge as high as the top of the head, with a cutting edge, the sides cut into transverse furrows; the corners of the mouth bordered with a dilatable skin; the nostril is a narrow slit placed close to the inner angle of the mandible. The wings are short, narrow, and pointed; the legs, placed far back,
