68 Mr. Moncax's Description 
making those dissections of which I have now to detail the 
results. 
Commencing the dissection upon the superficial covering of 
the abdomen, and having removed the common integuments of 
that part, it will be found, that a layer of panniculus carnosus of 
extraordinary strength and thickness is spread over the whole 
of the anterior and lateral parts of the abdominal parietes, con- 
nected closely by dense cellular membrane to the subjacent 
abdominal muscles, except at the part where the pouch is in- 
terposed between them ; here it is in like manner connected to 
the anterior surface of the pouch itself. The fibres of this 
muscle are arranged in a double order, an indistinct layer pass- 
ing transversely, the stronger and more numerous passing in a 
perpendicular direction from the thorax to the lower part of the 
abdomen, surrounding in their descent the mouth of the pouch, 
to which they form a sphincter, and terminating by sending off 
a narrow slip over the fore-part of the pubis, to be attached to 
the sphincter muscle of the vagina. "The action of this part of 
the muscle, therefore, would operate in drawing the external 
opening of the vagina forwards and upwards over the symphisis 
pubis, and would thus approximate the external organs of gene- 
ration to the mouth of the pouch (tab. 4. f. a.). | 
- Whether this approximation takes place in the living animal 
at- the time the young is removed from the cloaca to the nipple 
has not yet been clearly ascertained ; but if such were proved 
to be the case, itis obvious that the action of these descending 
muscular fibres must be mainly instrumental in bringing these 
parts more nearly together. 
The panniculus carnosus being entirely removed, the struc- 
ture and connections of the pouch were clearly exhibited. The 
bag is simply formed of a fold or duplicature of the common 
integument, which, as already stated, is attached before to the 
_ panniculus 
