ve P" Pee Veit TR : a Ee — 
of the Capybara. 469 
the entrance of any part of the food into the larynx and trachea. 
It will be further seen that the membrane of the velum is so 
closely united with the epiglottis as to render it impossible to 
admit the projection backwards of the one, without the com- 
plete closure of the rima glottidis from the depression of the 
other, thus affording an additional protection for the entrance 
to the air passages. 
The principal use, however, in the peculiar form of the 
velum palati, which I have described, appears to me to have 
reference to the digestive organs, and to be confined almost 
entirely to the process of deglutition. 
EXPLANATION or rue PLATES. 
Tas. XXVII. 
Fig. 1. Stomach. Fig. 2. Cecum. 
Tas. XXVIII. 
Head ;—the lower jaw, dislocated on one side, to show a sec- 
tion of the mouth ; b, pharynx, and a, funnel-shaped velum palati. 
Tas. XXIX. 
a. Root of the tongue, cut through to show the anterior mus- 
cular pillars of the velum palati, 5. 
vy $5.7 
Fig. 1. Posterior view of the muscles of the velum palati; a, 
sphincter muscle of the funnel; b, posterior muscular 
pillars. ! 
2. Os hyoides. 
3. Connection of the epiglottis with the membrane of the 
velum palati ; a, epiglottis. | 
XXVI. Notice 
