388 Mamaia or Inna. 
expiration ; or, in the second place, the water may be withdrawn from 
the cavity of the mouth by means of the trunk inserted into it.” 
The second deduction is, I think, the more probable one. Before an 
elephant spirts water over his body, he invariably puts his trunk into 
his mouth for the liquid, whatever it may be. Messrs. Miall and Green- 
wood are also against the former supposition, viz. that the fluid is 
regurgitated into the nasal passages. They say: ‘‘ We are disposed to 
question the normal passage of water along this highly-sensitive tract. 
Examination of the parts discovers no valve or other provision for pre- 
venting water, flowing from behind forward, from gaining free entrance 
into the olfactory recesses.” Mr. Sanderson, in discussing the habits 
of elephants with me, informed me that, from his observations, he was 
sure that an elephant, in drawing up water, did not fill more than fifteen 
to eighteen inches of his trunk at a time, which confirms the opinion of 
the two last-mentioned authors. Now we go on with Dr. Watson’s 
second deduction :— 
“Tt is manifestly impossible that the water can be contained within 
the cavity of the mouth itself, as I have already shown that the lips in 
the elephant are so formed as effectually to prevent this. The water 
regurgitated is, however, by means of the elevation of the soft palate, 
forced into the pharyngeal pouch. The superior aperture of this pouch 
being much narrower than the diameter of the pouch itself, and being 
completely surrounded by the muscular fibres of the stylo-glossus on 
each side, and the root of the tongue in front, which is prolonged back- 
wards so as to form a free sharp margin, we have thus, as it were, a 
narrow aperture surrounded by a sphincter muscle, into which the trunk 
being inserted, and grasped above its dilated extremity by the sphincter 
arrangement just referred to, air is thus effectually excluded ; and, the 
nasal passages being then exhausted by the act of inspiration, water is 
lodged within these passages, to be used as the animal thinks fit, 
either by throwing it over his body, or again returning it into his 
mouth.” 
This is doubtless a correct conclusion. The question still remaining 
open is, What is the fluid—water or a secretion? If water, where is it 
stowed in sufficient quantity? The testimony of several eminent 
anatomists appears to be against stomach complications such as before 
suggested. Dr. Anderson has told me that he had the opportunity of 
examining the stomachs of two very large elephants, which were 
perfectly simple, of enormous size ; and he was astonished at the extent 
of mucous surface. If water were drawn from such a stomach, it would 
be more or less tainted with half-digested food, besides which, when 
drunk, it would be rapidly absorbed by the mucous surfaces. I think 
therefore that we may assume that these yield back a very fluid secre- 
tion, which is regurgitated, as before suggested, into the pharyngeal 
