BIHANG TILL K. SV. VET.-AKAD. HANDL. BAXD. 28. AFD. IV. X:0 8. 49 



and Furcellaria 8,2 percent cellnlose of the dry substance. In 

 König's mamiaP the same author tells me it is stated that 

 Ccqiea dongata eontains 2,0, Forphyru vulgär is 5,-i and Lami- 

 naria japonica 6,5 % cellnlose of the dry substance and al- 

 thongh the quantity of cellnlose in some algee is greater it 

 is altogether missing in others. The Laminaria is of inte- 

 rest becanse as is stated above this genus of algee was accor- 

 ding to Professor Kjellman represented in the ventricle of 

 Amhlyrhynchus. A comparison between the quantity of cellu- 

 loj^e in algee and in phanerogamous plants can also be made 

 with the aid of König's manual. Even if tender herbs as 

 his Salat-Unkräuter»- are chosen for comparison we find that 

 these contain from 10,5 to 19,9 percent cellnlose of the dry 

 substance. When only the percentages of cellnlose are con- 

 sidered the algee seem more digestible than the phaneroga- 

 mous plants. But Professor Mörner has furnished me with 

 another important information conceming the cellnlose of 

 the algee he investigated. He says :)the in the usual manner 

 (treatment with diluted sulphuric acid resp. hydrate of po- 

 tash) obtained cellulose consisted of a in a moist state soft, 

 fjelafinoiis mäss and did not show any fibrous or membranous 

 consistency as is the case with common phanerogamian cellu- 

 lose.) This agrees very well with my own observations con- 

 ceming the contents of the intestine of Ämhlyrlnjnchus above 

 described as a jelly or a porridge. "When the food-material 

 has such a thin and liquid consistency when it arrives at 

 the large intestine it is evident that a narrow and lengthened 

 lumen of this organ with numerous tran.sverse folds shall 

 offer more possibilities for a thorough treatment from the 

 side of the intestine and for a more complete reabsorjjtion of 

 useful material. When the large intestine of Amhlyrhynchus 

 is comparatively longer and narrower than in any other her- 

 bivorous Iguanid, this is thus a suitable adaptation to the 

 algivorous diet of this lizard.^ 



^ Chemie der menschlichen Xahrungs- und CTenussmittel. Dritte Anf- 

 lage. 



^ yTaraxcum, TJrtica dioica, Portulaca, Chenopodium album. y 

 ^ TMs adaptation of the intestine to the liqnid consistency of the con- 

 tents can be compared with the fact that all fish-eating mammals and birds 

 have a verv long intestine with qnite narrow lumen which no doubt stånds 

 in connection with the thin and liqnid state of the digested fish. Althongh 

 the chemical composition of the contents of the intestine of Amhlyrhynchus 

 is a good deal different from those of the fisheating animals mentioned there 



4 



