70 .otatBt;, Jkfr. Morgan's Description 



« 



I state ray own views respecting their physiology, to offer a 

 short account of their anatomical structure. 



The marsupial bones in the female Kangaroo are about three 

 inches in length, long and narrow in shape, and incurvated iri 

 form, compressed laterally, presenting a rounded concave edge 

 anteriorly, the posterior edge convex and sharp ; the inferior 

 extremity or base, by which it is attached to the side of the 

 symphisis pubis, is enlarged to form an articular surface for its 

 connection with that part. The superior extremity, which gives 

 attachment merely to tendon and muscle, tapering to a flattened 

 obtuse termination. The bones are placed with their rounded 

 concave edges facing forwards, their bases being in contact, and 

 their superior pointed extremities being separated to the extent 

 of from three to four inches. They are confined in this situation 

 partly by ligament and partly by their muscular attachments. By 

 a capsular ligament they are bound to the symphisis pubis ; and 

 by triangular ligaments, the lower fourth of their posterior conve?, 

 edges is connected with the body of that bone {tab. 1 .f. a.). i , 



The muscles attached to these bones are as follows : first, the 

 tendon of the external oblique muscle of the abdomen closely 

 covers, and is more or less connected with, these bones through- 

 out their whole extent, and by the action of this muscle the 

 bones are brought nearer together. The abdomen of the Kan- 

 garoo is supplied with four recti muscles, an anterior and a 

 posterior on each side. The posterior and broader muscle is 

 inserted into the base of the marsupial bone {tab. 7. /. b.) ; the 

 anterior or smaller muscle is inserted by a round tendon into the 

 superior extremity of the bone : this tendon extends through the 

 centre of the muscle, the fibres of which are continued to the 

 point of its insertion in a double penniform order {tab. 6.f. a.). 



On the outer side of this tendon the muscular fibres terminate 



at 



