1864, | Zoology and Physiology. 171 
countries where it is desirable to obtain oxen for working purposes ; 
as in others, cows are the most valued animals. Moreover, the same 
remarks will apply to sheep. 
A series of experiments is about to be conducted on the Imperial 
farm at Vincennes, in order to test the value and truth of the discovery. 
While on the subject of cattle, it may be well to refer to a practice 
adopted by M. Charlier, for the suppression of horns, an operation 
which may sometimes be of great advantage. In the early months of 
life, when the rudiment of the horn begins to appear, it may be done 
without danger or expense, the owner himself operating with facility. 
The instrument used is a kind of trephine, a small cylinder of good 
steel, with a sharp cutting edge at one end and a point at the other. 
This instrument is placed around the young horn, bearing sufficiently 
on it to cut through the skin and subjacent tissue at the base of the 
horn, and then everting the soft horn, which offers no resistance. The 
wound heals in a few days afterwards without suppuration, and gene- 
rally without any febrile symptoms. 
In the beautiful and elaborate Memoir published by the Smithsonian 
Institution (Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, xiii. 169), en- 
titled ‘ Researches upon the Anatomy and Physiology of Respiration 
in the Chelonia, by Drs. Weir Mitchell, and G. R. Moorehouse, some 
curious errors of previous writers are pointed out with regard to the 
respiratory movements in Turtles. All writers upon this subject, 
including Malpighi, Cuvier, Johannes Miller, Milne Edwards, Agassiz, 
&e., appear to have described the act of breathing to be performed by 
them thus:—by the depression of the hyoid apparatus and tongue 
air is drawn into the mouth through the nostrils, which are then 
closed ; and by raising the hyoid, air is driven from the mouth through 
the glottis and trachea into the lungs, when inspiration is completed. 
Expiration being effected by the contraction of the abdominal muscles, 
and the consequent compression of the lungs. Instead of this, the 
authors of this Memoir have proved that the -hyoid apparatus has 
nothing whatever to do with ordinary breathing, but that inspiration is 
performed by the abdominal muscles, which naturally form a deep 
concavity, but contracting become flat, draw down the viscera, enlarge 
the cavity of the trunk, which enlargement is followed by a rush of 
air through the trachea into the lungs, when inspiration is completed ; 
while expiration is produced by the action of a peculiar muscle, now 
first completely described, like a broad digastric, which arises from 
the fore and hind part of the shield, and unites by a broad tendon 
across the middle of the abdominal cavity, between which muscle in 
front and the shield behind, are included the viscera—and by contrac- 
tion of which expiration is effected. It is remarkable that this correct 
view has since been found by the authors to be set forth in a dissertation 
on the subject written at Gottingen, in 1795, by Robert Townson, LL.D., 
and they were surprised, on learning the singularly correct views there 
propounded, to find that they had ever since been either unappre- 
ciated or condemned. 
Signor Trinchese has been engaged in the investigation of the 
oD oD 
