144 



NOTES ON MARSUPIALIAN ANATOMY. 



II. ON THE FEMALE GENITAL ORGANS OF 



A VIRGIN SARCOPHILUS SATANICUS. 



PI. XXIII., XXIV^., XXV., XXVI,, XXV^II. 



By 



T. THOMSON FLYNN, B.Sc, 



Ralston, Professor of Biology, University of Tasmania, 



In a former communication to the Linnean Society of 

 N.S.W. (10) I described the genital apparatus in a female 

 specimen of Sarcophilus satanicus which had borne young, 

 and in that j^ajDer drew attention to various phenomena, 

 especially in connection with the median vaginal apparatus, 

 which could only be satisfactorily explained by the exam- 

 ination of similai' organs in the virgin animal. In the 

 ordinary course of events, such an undoubted virgin would 

 be difficult to procure, and, even if obtained, would be 

 hard to recognise as such in our present knowledge of these 

 organs in this genus. Nevertheless, since my last paper 

 was written, through the kindness of Mrs. Roberts, 

 C.M.Z.S., of Hobart, such a virgin has been placed at my 

 disposal. Mrs. Roberts has had for some time past in her 

 gardens at Beaumaris a number of Tasmanian "devils," 

 among which was the specimen in question. It came to 

 the gardens as a baby attached to the teat about August, 

 1909, and had lived ever since in a cage with its mother 

 and an old male. Last March quarrels occuiTcd through 

 the young female resenting the attentions of the male, with 

 the result that she was severely handled, and had to be 

 removed to another cage. Soon after she seemed to rally, 

 but after a little while sank and died. A po-st-mortem 

 showed that external injuries were not the sole cause of 

 death, for the internal organs were very much diseased. 



I wish to place on record my grateful appreciation of 

 the kindness of Mrs. Roberts in putting this specimen at 

 my disposal. 



