EINAR LÖNNBERG, ANATOMY OF THE RUMINANTS. 19 



result of adaptation, and it is difficult to draw any conclu- 

 sions from the arrangement and number of the colic coils 

 which can be used for taxonomic purposes, except in one 

 case. It has been known for a long tirne that in the Com- 

 mon Ox there is no peripheric colic coil in close connection 

 with the small intestine. It was then proved some years 

 ago (6) that the same was the case with the Anoa. As the 

 large intestine of the latter was not very strongly developed, 

 and the colic spiral only consisted of 1 V^ centripetal and 

 IV2 centrifugal coils, thus even less than in the common 

 Ox, the absence of the peripheric coil did not appear very 

 striking, but only in complete agreement with the general 

 condition of the large intestine. ^ 



It was therefore of great interest to the present author 

 to have the opportunity of examining the intestinal canal 

 of a young bull of the (domesticated) Yak. The small in- 

 testine measured when still adherent to the mesentery 34 m. 

 in length. The C8ecum was 60 cm. long and about 9 cm. 

 broad when about half filled. The large intestine measured 

 from the ileocaeoal opening to the vent 8 m. 51 cm. To judge 

 from the natural conditions of the country where the Yak lives 

 and its diet, it was to be expected that its colon should be 

 greatly developed. The colic spiral consisted, however, as 

 may be seen from the figure (fig. 10), only of 2V2 centri- 

 petal and 2 1/2 centrifugal coils. Then the ansa distalis is. 

 formed in close connection to the ansa proximalis, and the 

 colon passes into the rectum. There is evidently no peri- 

 pheric coil, the mesentery between the last coil and the small 

 intestine measuring about 18 cm. in breadth. In conse- 

 quence of this arrangement the large intestine is compara- 

 tively very short and its length is only 26,2 7o of that of 

 the small intestine. In the Common Ox a similar relation 

 obtains while in the Sheep and the^ Goat the large intestine 

 is 33 Vo or more of the small, and even in Antelopes with 

 comparatively very few cohc coils as, for instance, Cepha- 

 lophus natalensis and melanorheus the same percentage is 

 about 37,2 in Antilope (6) it is about 36, in Ovihos (5) abont 

 38. This proves that in the subfamily Bovince the relation 

 between the large and the small intestine differs from the 



^ In the Anoa the small intestine as well appears to be very short (6). 



