The lungs, situated in the upper portion of the thoracic abdominal cavity, are firmly attached to the ribs, in the interspaces between which they fit. They are flattened and oval in shape, bright red in color, and loose and spongy in texture.
The heart is cone-shaped. The lower portion rests between the lobes of the liver. The heart is red and is inclosed in a sac (the pericardium) that is easily removed.
The liver, situated a little lower down than the heart, consists of two lobes. The right lobe is often larger than the left which may be cleft at the lower end. The left lobe covers the true stomach and part of the gizzard. If there is some delay in holding a post-mortem examination the edges of the lobes of the liver become discolored. Normally the color is a purplish red.
The gall bladder fits into a shallow depression on the underside of the right lobe of the liver and appears green in color. A duct conveys the bile from the liver into the gall bladder, whence it passes by another duct into the intestine.
The spleen, a nearly round, reddish body, with a purplish tinge, is attached by a ligament to the right side of the true stomach and is hidden by the liver.
The kidneys extend along the sides of the spine from immediately below the lungs to near the termination of the abdominal cavity. The general color is a chocolate red, but a small portion at the upper end (known as the adrenal), is yellow. There is no urinary bladder. The urates are carried direct through the ureters to the cloaca.
The testes (of the male bird) are attached to the upper portion of the kidneys. They are white or very light-colored, and may be of different sizes.
The ovary (of the female bird), situated on the left side, covers the kidney on that side. It consists of numerous ova of various sizes each of which may develop into an egg. As an ovum passes through the oviduct it is first coated with an albuminous covering (the white of egg); lower down it is coated with a calcareous deposit that forms the shell of the egg. (Fig. 18.)
Fig. 34.—POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION NO. 5
Examination of brain and of portions of intestines and windpipe.