92 



LENGTH OF ALIMENTARY CANAL. 



vegetable food (purslain), the intestinal canal gradually became much enlarged, 

 and resembled, in some respects, that of the gopher. 



The colon and rectum of carnivorous chelonians generally contain the shells of 

 invertebrate animals, and parts of leaves and grasses. During starvation, all the 

 organic constituents of the shells gradually disappear, and nothing remains in the 

 colon but white chalk-like masses, which I determined, in several instances, to be 

 carbonate and phosphate of lime. The intestines, from the stomach to the anus, 

 never contained any large amount of bile, showing that it was absorbed. 



The stomach of cold-blooded animals gives an acid reaction during starvation and 

 digestion. During starvation, the small intestines give, in many places, a feeble 

 acid, and in others a neutral reaction. When fed upon vegetable substances, the 

 reaction from the stomach to the anus was acid. 



