Retrospective Critzdstn, 301 



thing which she could not digest,and that it had probably brought on swelling 

 and inflammation; but on dissecting her, and cutting through the outer skin 

 of the throat, I was much surprised to find that though the lump occupied 

 the usual situation of the craw, it was in no way connected with it or the 

 oesophagus, but was entirely confined to the trachea which it quite encom- 

 passed, and which it had, by the portion of it intervening between it and 

 the neck, forced out of its natural situation. The lump, which was com- 

 posed of cellular substance, like the one* on the hare, was quite round, 

 about six inches in circumference, and presented no appearance of inflam- 

 mation ; it encircled the trachea immediately above its entrance under the 

 breast bone. From its great size, and from its being retained in a fixed 

 position by the windpipe, it had forced the craw quite to one side of the 

 neck, and so entirely occupied the space allotted by nature to that necessary 

 organ, that it could hold but a very small portion of food. The lump was, in 

 every respect, similar to tiie one on the hare; except that from the upright 

 position of the neck, and from its entirely surrounding the trachea, it was 

 retained by it in a fixed position, and by that means prevented from becom- 

 ing pendulous by its own weight as with the hare. The pressure, occa- 

 sioned by the lump and its confined position, caused her death by producing 

 strangulation of the trachea. It is, however, I think, probable, that it 

 would soon have ulcerated, as I found an effusion of viscid brown matter 

 nearly in the centre of it. As the hen presented no unusual appearance 

 until lately, and as she was an old one, I think it cannot have arisen from an 

 original malformation ; it must, therefore, have been caused by some dis- 

 ease, and as there was not the slightest appearance of inflammation, or that 

 callosity which is, I believe, always attendant upon cancer, and as the lump 

 on her and the hare so exactly correspond with the description and position 

 of what is termed goitre in the human species, I am very much disposed to 

 consider them similar. As I am not aware of this disease having ever been 

 ascertained in the brute species, I feel some distrust in coming to this con- 

 clusion; but should it be correct, it might throw some light on that disease, 

 and would, I think, satifactorily disprove the vulgar idea that it is caused 

 by drinking snow water. Trusting, therefore, that the consideration of this 

 subject, though it may appear trivial to many of your readers, will not be 

 found unworthy of the attention of some who are more competent than 

 myself to give an opinion on the subject, I remain, &c. — John V. Stewart. 

 Ards House, Dunfanaghy, SejJt. 29. 1828. 



The Pygmy Bison. — Had you inserted my article en the Pygmy Bison 

 four months ago, you might have saved many individuals the mortification 

 of being humbugged by another attempt of the same individual to appro- 

 priate some of their cash to his own use, by such unfair means as the 

 exhibition of his Tarantula, or Sea Spider. — V. May 23. 1829. 



Birds presented to the Hull Literary and Philosophical Society. — Your 

 informant (Vol.1, p. 289.) has committed an error in describing the birds 

 I lately presented to the Society. They were not a male and female 

 Rallus aquaticus, but S'turnus Cinclus (or, as 1 conceive it should be, 

 " cinctus/* though all the authors I have consulted write Cfnclus, which is 

 a word of which I can make nothing). The Rallus aquaticus, of which you 

 have given us an excellent engraving, was two or three years ago presented 

 to the Institution by my nephew, Mr. B. B. Thompson, who shot it in this 

 neighbourhood. 1 wish you would give us a good likeness of Sturnus 

 Cinclus, for I do not know of one ; Bewick's specimen, though incorrect, 

 is the best I have seen. I do not believe the story of its walking on the 

 bottom of the beds of rivers, though doubtless it dives with ease. The 

 authors who mention this seem to have followed each other ; and the whole 

 appears to rest upon the testimony of Mr. Herbert, who wrote the letter on 

 ■ the subject which M. Buffon has inserted in his work on birds. »S'turnus 



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