280 Messrs Cheek and Jones ow the, Amtomp rfihe Lion. 



It may be here mentioned, that, near the opening of the anus, 

 there are two anal glands, which secrete a thickish yellow fluid. 



Connected with the rectum, there is a muscle, which does 

 not appear to have been particularly described in this animal. 

 Arising from the second caudal vertebra, and interlacing its 

 fibres with those of the depressor muscles of the tail, it proceeds 

 itt a thick fleshy band to be inserted, by a fan-like expansion, 

 into the upper part of the rectum, about three inches from the 

 anusi Its use would appear to be to protrude the anus. 



^fc It is a remarkable statement made by Perrault, that the heart 

 of the lion is much larger in proportion than in any other animal. 

 In the specimen under our inspection, this certainly was not 

 the case ; and the opinion which we had formed of the compara- 

 tively small size of the lion's heart receives confirmation from the 

 subjoined paragraph from the excellent memoir of Wolff. * 



The statement of Perrault seems, however, to be allied to a 

 popular prejudice, that, on account of the supposed courage of 

 the lion, its heart must be proportionably large ; and hence the 

 term lion-hearted. But, as we have already stated, the lion, 

 however majestic his air and movements, is a cowardly and 

 treacherous beast. 'nir;r,>.,i(-i:>oTji bim -^ii-^B fi^jod Gii> 



It appears to be unneces9<it^-'W^ ettifer Intcf^'^ftj^' ttiitttttfc 

 description of the anatomy of the heart, after the accurate 

 memoir of M. Wolff, above referred to. It may, however, be 

 mentioned, that the general internal structure of this organ 

 would appear to be disposed so as to increase its capacitj^j, while 

 its dimensions are small ; the cohimnce carne<E being much flatter, 

 thinner, and fewer in number, than in the human heart, or perhaps 

 that of any other animal. 



J The area of the great blood-vessels is small, compared with 

 that of the heart ; Wolff remarks, that the aorta is almost twice 

 Ikrger in proportion to the ventricle in man than in the lion. 

 This relative difference is an interesting fact, when the highly 

 developed state of the muscular and osseous systems are consi- 

 dered. In the grmninivora, we observe a contrary disproportidfl 

 in the <pi«e «f *h© heart and vessels; and in miSiVL*Wm»f \yt 

 ■ :. yX^ ^;« :M.;-,. ^ ^^'Ml{^l')^ yuh 



* " Magnitude autem cordis, quam determinare in superioribus polliclt^8 

 sum, pro mole corporis parva esse videtur. Longitudinem cordis vidimus esse 

 5 poll. 3 lin. Longitudo corporis a symphysi maxillse inferioris, capite 

 erecto, usque ad symphysin ossium pubis, vei etiam a naribus usque ad prin- 

 eipium caudae erat pedum 3 et 11 poll. Mediocre cor humanum longitudirte 

 ^udet 4 poll, et 10 lin. ergo homo mediocris staturse, si cor leonis propor- 

 tipnatum esset cordi bumano, mensura sumta a vertice capitis usque ad ossa 

 pubis, vel ad principium ossis coccygis esse deberet 5 pedum et 5 pollicum, 

 Jam pars corporis humani a vertice capitis usque ad ossa pubis dimidiam 

 circiter totius hominis longitudenem efficit. Ergo homo mediocris, si cor 

 leonis humano proportionatum esset, longitudine esse deberet 10 pedum et 

 10 poll, quam gyganteam magnitudinem, cum vix quisquam mortalium 

 habeat, patet cor leonis pro mole corporis insigniter parvum esse." — De corde 

 Leonis. Nov. Coram. Petrop. xvi. 471. 



