14 ARKIV FÖR ZOOLOGI. BAND 6. N:0 15. 



narrowed and it is abruptly bent or doubled up on itself 

 as the figure shows (fig. 6). In this narrowed portion of 

 the caecum the mucosa is strongly but irregularly folded. 

 Then follow^s the passage into the colon which is very narrow 

 in consequence of a strong csecocolic constriction. The proxi- 

 mal portion of the colon is somewhat dilated and makes a 

 very short /S-shaped curve, the convex portions of which 

 are expanded so that they nearly form small cseca (conf. 

 fig. 6). These parts are narrowly connected as well in ter 

 se as Avith the csecum. The mucosa is very strongly plica- 

 ted and the folds are, as a rule, transversally arranged but 

 in the sack-like ends of the curves the folds are still more 

 irregular. 



Immediately after this the colon forms a long loop both 

 limbs of which are quite closely connected wdth each other. 

 Both limbs are sacculated and the proximal is less wide than 

 the distal which is strongly widened near the end of the loop. 

 When the colon leaves the loop it is contracted again to 

 normal width w^hich it retains all way to rectum into which 

 it gradually passes. Although the arrangement of the caecum 

 and colon of the Perissodactyla in its main features is 

 pretty similar there are at the same time several differences 

 and it will appear that the csecum of the Indian Tapir shows 

 the highest specialisation. It is more distinctly set off as a 

 separate organ w^hich in consequence of this appears to liave 

 a, to some extent, more independent and then also more 

 effective function in preparing the foodmaterial for final 

 digestion. Even in the American Tapir to judge from Chal- 

 mers Mttchell's figure and description^ the caecum is much 

 longer and less sharply defined from the colon. In connec- 

 tion with this stånds perhaps the fact that the colic loop of 

 the latter animal according to the fignre quoted is longer 

 than in the Indian Tapir. In the Indian Rhinoceros as well 

 the colic loop, when compared with the csecum,^ is much 

 longer than in the Indian Tapir, and the same is also the 

 case in the Sondaic Rhinoceros according to Beddard and 

 Treves.^ In the Sumatran Rhinoceros Garrod found the 



1 Träns. Zool. Soc. Vol. XVII Part. 5 p. 477. 



^ 1. c. p. 478. 



3 Träns. Zool. Soc. Vol. XII p. 192, Pl. XXXIV. 



