496 ZOOLOGY. 



prououuced in the males of certain species) all the species agree, may 

 be understood when we consider the nature of the food of these animals. 



"In the collection of theBritish Museum are specimens ofE. gamhianus 

 from the banks of the Zambesi, with the note " eating figs" on the label 

 attached to them by the donor Dr. Kirk. That figs constitute the food 

 of E. franqueti, macrocephalus, labiatus^ and minor also I have proved 

 by finding remains of these fruits in the alimentary canal of these 

 species. 



"The fig being a hollow receptacle containing numerous small fruits, 

 is not easily detached from the branch for the purpose of mastication ; 

 and its outer rind is evidently too tough to be readily torn through by 

 the feeble teeth of the Upomovhori. The easiest method therefore of 

 getting at its soft juicy contents is by sucking them out through the 

 aperture at the distal extremity of the fig. 



"Now the whole structure of the mouth and pharynx of these animals 

 is admirably suited for this purpose. The peculiarly voluminous lips 

 are capable of completely encircling the fig, and their adherence to 

 its smooth surface is evidently securely maintained by the soft pads 

 which spring from their upper margins near the angles of the mouth. 

 While thus encircled by the lips, the fruit is probably slowly chewed 

 by the feeble acutely pointed teeth, and pressed upwards against the 

 prominent palate-ridges so as to cause it to give up more freely its juices 

 and soft contents which are drawn out by suction through the terminal 

 aperture. 



" The construction of the parts above described is specially suited to 

 the action of suction, accomplished probably by the alternate action of 

 the buccal muscles and the lungs. The spacious pharynx, shut off from 

 the nasal apertures by the constrictors of the pharynx, and from the 

 mouth by the small valvular opening referred to, and having its sides 

 supported behind by the expanded hyoid bones, constitutes a most per- 

 fect exhauster ; while the broad epiglottis, permanently folded over the 

 larynx in front so that its aperture is directed upwards towards the 

 spine, and the great size of the fibrocartilaginous masses extending 

 forwards from the arytenoid cartilages to the epiglottis, effectually 

 guard the glottis, preventing any part of the food, such as the small 

 fig-seeds, from being drawn into the air-passages." 



American Mioc&ne rodents.* 



Professor Cope has studied the American miocene rodents, and given 

 a list of all the known species. Kot less than thirty-seven have been 

 recognized, and these are referred to 17 genra and distributed under 

 9 families. 



The sciuridse, ischyomydse, castoridse, mylagaulidae, an undetermined 

 one for the genus heliscomys, muridse, geomyidse, hystricidte, and lep- 



* Cope, E. D. The Rodentia of the American Miocene. Am. Nat., v 15, pp. 

 586, 587. 



