PLATYRHYNCHUS cancromus. fem.
Short-tailed Flatbill.
Generic Character.
Platyrhinchos, Temminck. Sw. Zool. Ill. (div. I.) Vol. i. pl. 13.
Rostrum tenue, breve, valdè depressum, frontis latitudinem superans, mandibulæ superioris abruptè aduncæ, et ad apicem emarginatæ, marginibus dilatatis, et inferioris margines superplicantibus. Nares medii, basi membranâ pennis minutis instructâ obtectâ, aperturâ parvâ, rotundâ, terminali, tantùm non nudâ. Rictus ampli, ad mandibulæ superioris basin vibrissis rigidis armati. Pedes sedentes, graciles, digitis lateralibus imparibus, digito exteriore ad medii digiti articulum primum annexo, halluce valido.
Bill thin, short, very much depressed, broader than the front of the head; the upper mandible abruptly hooked and notched at the tip; the margins dilated, and folding over those of the under mandible; nostrils central, the base covered with a membrane having minute feathers, the aperture small, round, terminal, and nearly naked; mouth large, armed above with stiff bristles; feet sitting, slender; lateral toes unequal, exterior united to the middle as far as the first joint; hinder claw strongest.