160 



ratlon of the Marsupial animals, induces me to offer tlie follovving 

 observations on the anatomy of the A'a«o^«roo, although they dolittle 

 more than record a negative fact. 



" Having had opportunities of verifying the discoveries of M.Geof- 

 froy-Saint-Hilaire of the peritoneal canals iu the Crocodile and Tor- 

 toise, I felt desirous of putting also to the tęst of observation his 

 more recently recorded discovery of siniilar canals in the Kangaroo. 

 The accidental death at the Society's Gardens of a fine female of 

 the common species [iVJacropus major, Shaw,) afforded afavourable 

 opportunity of raaking the investigation, and the follovving results 

 were obtained. 



" The disposition of the peritoneum at the pelvic region of the ab' 

 domėn is as follovvs : an anterioi' fold of the membrane is reflected 

 from the mesial line of the abdominal parietės upon the anterior part 

 of the urinary bladder ; two lateral folds are continued from the 

 sides of the bladder to the posterior part of the niiddle uieriis, from 

 whence they are reflected to the iliac and lumbar regions of the 

 aWowew, representing the broad ligaments, and including the uterine 

 vessels, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries. In the poiich thus formed be- 

 hind the bladder, the lateral uterine tubes and body of the itterus 

 are contained. From the posterior part of the neck of the uterus 

 the perito72euni is reflected upon the rectum, and as it i« in this situa- 

 tion that the j)eritoneal outlets exist in the Crocodile, the membrane 

 was here first examined,but withoutthe slightest appearance of an 

 aperture being detected. The peritoneal cavity betvveen the uterus 

 and bladder \vas next examined, and particularly \vhere the mem- 

 brane is reflected from the lovver part of the lateral tubes {ad ute- 

 rums, Geoff. ), tliis being the situation \vhere the description of 

 M. GeofFroy-Saint-Hilaire vvould lead us to expect them. There 

 was, indeed, in the angle betvveen the lateral and middle uterus a 

 narrovv peritoneal pouch, vvhich seen from above appeared likę the 

 orifice of acanalj but on sounding this vvith an eye-probe, uniform 

 resistance was met with, and on laying the cavity carefuily open the 

 membrane was found to be entire and imperforate at the bottoni. 

 The remainder of the peritoneu7)i in this neighbourhood vvas searched 

 over, but with the šame want of success. 



" The female was adult, but was believed never to have been with 

 young. 



»*I repeated the examination on the female parts of an adult 

 Kangaroo (also without young,\ which had been preserved in spirits 

 from a former dissection, and in wliich the peritoneal connexions 

 betvveen the bladder, uterus and rectum were entire. The šame 

 small blind pouches were found in the situation indicated above, 

 but not any trace of the orifices of canals. M. Geoffroy-Saint-Hi- 

 laire acknovvledges he was unable to find analogous canals in a raale 

 Kangaroo that he examined subsequently to the female; and asthe 

 dissection on vvhich his supposed discovery is founded appears not 

 to have been performed by himself, these canals, unless confirmed 

 by further observation, niust be considered as at least of doubtful 

 existeDce. 



