1 39 



October 25, 1831. 

 Joseph Cox Cox, Esq. in the Chair. 



Mr. Owen read a portion of his notes on the anatomy of a Cro- 

 codile (Croc. acvtus,Cuv.), made during the dissection of a young 

 individual which had lately died at the gardens of the Society. 



Before speaking of the internal anatomy, he alluded to the pecu- 

 liar structure of the tongue andjauces, which he described as es- 

 sentially agreeing with that of the same parts in the Egyptian Cro- 

 codile. He explained the uses of the apparent closure of thejauces, 

 in which, on looking into the mouth, no orifice or passage for the 

 food is perceptible j and remarked on the necessity for so com- 

 plete a safeguard of the larynx in an animal breathing air, but de- 

 stroying its living prey by submersion in water. 



He then proceeded to the description of the viscera, and com- 

 menced by remarking on the singular disposition of the serous 

 membranes of the body in the Crocodiles ; a disposition which he has 

 observed in no other animal, and which is such as to resemble the 

 effects of a general inflammatory action. It is, however, normal, 

 and has been observed by him in three individuals of the Croco- 

 dilus Lucius and Croc, acidus. 



"The serous membrane analogous to 'peritoneum is reflected 

 from the abdominal parietes upon the under surface of the sto- 

 mach, to the right of which it partially surrounds the gall-bladder, 

 and is continued upon the inferior surface of the right lobe of 

 the liver j from these parts it descends, enveloping the spleen and 

 covering the anterior part of the kidneys and testes, and being con- 

 tinued from the middle line of the abdomen, surrounds the intes- 

 tines in the usual manner, forming a rather loose mesentery: thus 

 the abdomen appears to contain only the intestines, gall-bladder, 

 spleen, kidneys, and genital glands. The serous membrane which 

 covers the upper surface of the stomach is reflected upon the under 

 surface of the left lobe of the liver, and forms a distinct cavity con- 

 fined to these parts. Along the line of the stomach, where the 

 superior and inferior serous membranes are contiguous, a quantity 

 of fat is interposed, together with the principal vessels of the sto- 

 mach, analogous to the omentum. The serous membranes analo- 

 gous to the pleurae, after lining the sides of the chest, entirely sur- 

 round the lungs, and are reflected on each side upon the superior 

 and lateral aspects of the liver, a process dipping down between 

 the lung and the liver, but forming only a partial septum, and ter- 

 minating in a concave edge towards the back. On each side 

 of the pericardium there is also a distinct serous membrane, which 

 is reflected from the lower part of that bag upon the mesial aspect 

 of the liver: so that, including the pericardium itself, there are no 

 less than seven distinct serous membranes in the trunk of the Cro- 



