74 " Transactions. — Zoology. 



sends up au hourglass-shaped process which has immediately 

 behind the thick part of the mesethmoid, and extends up to 

 the anterior face of the frontals. It also sends off side-pro- 

 cesses into the parethmoids, these processes projecting outside 

 at the articular facet for the palatine. The remaining car- 

 tilaginous parts of the cranium are contained in the auditory 

 capsules. These extend to the outside by prominent processes, 

 which issue at the facet on the cranium for the articulation of 

 the hyomandibular. 



The Enteric CancU. — From the mouth-cavity the gullet 

 leads to the stomach, which occupies a considerable portion of 

 the abdominal cavity, extending from its front wall backwards 

 and downwards to the region of the anus. From the dorsal 

 part of the stomach goes off the intestine, which is continued 

 backwards for some distance. It then bends on itself and 

 passes forward to the region of the stomach, thus forming the 

 looped duodenum. It again bends on itself and passes back- 

 wards, forming the ileum and rectum, and finally ends at the 

 anus (PI. XII., fig. 1). 



About \m.. posterior to the junction of the stomach and in- 

 testine are given off from the intestine, in the form of a ch'cle,. 

 a few blind tubes. These are the pyloric coeca {j)y. c, figs. 

 1 and 10). From the examination of a number of specimens 

 I conclude that the normal nmnber of these pyloric cceca is 

 six. However, that number is not constant. In one specimen 

 the dorsalmost of these cceca at about lin. from its blind end 

 gave off a branch which ran almost parallel with, but not quite 

 to the bottom of, the parent coecum. Length of coeca, 2iin. 

 Length of branch, -fin. In another specunen I found seven 

 distinct coeca ; while in still another I found eight, two of 

 which were, however, much smaller than the others. 



The mucous membrane lining the inside of the gullet varies 

 from a whitish to a pinkish tint, and is thi'own into a large 

 number of longitudinal folds : that of the stomach is of a 

 light-yellow colour, and is folded in all directions except a 

 small area, just in front of the entrance to the intestine, which 

 is absolutely devoid of folds. 



At the entrance of the intestine there is a small flap which 

 represents the pyloric valve (fig. 1). 



Immediately posterior to this valve are the openings of the 

 pyloric coeca. Each opens into the intestine by a separate 

 aperture. From the posterior end of the ileum there passes 

 into the rectum a very prominent valvular flap, the ileo-rectal 

 valve (fig. 1). 



Tbe interior of each pyloric coecum is lined by glandular 

 mucous membrane of a rather brownish colour. The inside 

 walls of the intestine are also lined with this glandular mucous 

 membrane. 



