76 



the stomach of the Dasypodce," and a still nearer approacli in the 

 stomach of the Manis. 3. The presence of a sirailar structure in the 

 Myrmecophagae, accompanled by the habit of swallo\ving small peb- 

 bles for the purpose of destroying the vitality of the insects which 

 form their food. 4. The similarity of the mucous glands about the 

 os hyoides of the Anteaters to those folhcles in the Woodpeckers, 

 ■\vhich represent amongst Binls the conglomerate sahvary glands 

 of the MammaHans ; and the lubiication of the extensile tongue. 

 5. The abnormal number of cervical vertebr^e in the Three-toed 

 Sloth. 6. Prof. Owen concludes this Une of argument in the fol- 

 lowing \vord3 : " The transition is indeed nearly completed by the 

 Monotremata, for of the two genera contained in this order. Echidna 

 presents us with the ąuills, and Omithorhynchus -svith the beak of a 

 bird ; and it is far from being proved that the mode of generation is 

 not the šame." 7. The form of the pubis of the Armadillo indicates 

 " that only a small portion of \vhat usually constitutes the symphysis 

 is here joined to its fellow, viz. the anterior angle ;" and in Cldamy- 

 phorus and Myrmecophaga didactyla the ossa pubis remain entirely 

 separate, as is the case in Birds, The pelvis likewise resembles theirs 

 " in the great breadth of the posterior part of the sacrum, the angles 

 of \vhich are anchylosed to the spines of the ischia, and convert the 

 great ischiatic notches into complete foramina." 



1 . The occurrence of double caeca is a remarkable point of affinity 

 to Birds ; but we have previously sho'mi that the presence of cseca is 

 a variable character in the Tortoises, as in both Dasypus and Myr- 

 mecophaga, so that the characters furnished us by this organ seem to 

 approximate them equally to Birds and Reptiles. 



2. We have shown the structure of the stomach in the Tortoises 

 to be gizzard-like. This is also the case in Crocodilus acuius (Owen 

 in Zool. Proc. 1830, p. 139). Hence the stomach of the Edentata 

 presents us with an equal analogy to Reptiles and Birds. 



3. The habit of the MjTmecophaga of s\vallo\ving small pebbles 

 to increase the trituration of the gizzard is certainly analogous to 

 that of the Gallinaceous Birds. But the šame has been remarked in 

 the Egj'ptian Crocodile by Professor GeofFroy St. Hilaire, and in the 

 sharp-nosed species by Prof. Owen (ubi supra). As the gizzard-like 

 structure and pebbles of the IMyrmecophaga are adapted to the diges- 

 tion of animal food, as in the ReptiUa, and not of vegetable, as in 

 the Gallinaceous Birds, I consider the resemblance of the Edentata 

 in these respects to be greater to the former than the latter 

 animals. 



4. The sali vary glands of the Chameleon, if not formed on exactly 

 the šame type as those of the Anteaters, are at least similar in the 

 office they perform. 



5. The abnormal number of cervical vertebrse in the Ai approxi- 

 mates the Edentata equally to Reptiles and Birds. 



6. The Monotremata, which Professor Owen in the passage I have 

 quoted seems to look upon as the terminai link betvreen the Edentata 

 and Birds, are certainly more nearly allied to Reptiles than to Birds, 

 and have indeed been considered so by himself, as will be manifest 



