308 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [April, 



This part of the paper was illustrated by a drawing by Mr. 

 Bauer; and it was singular, Sir Everard observed, that that 

 gentleman should have had to delineate the same organ in two 

 such different animals. 



The second fact described in this paper also relates to the 

 walrus. The bile in this animal is received from the liver by a late- 

 ral communication into a cylindrical reservoir, with much mucus 

 in its coats, and is thence impelled with considerable force into 

 the duodenum. The oesophagus is wide, admitting of large masses 

 of food being swallowed, and of regurgitation : the opening 

 of the pylorus is small and valvular, preventing the passage of 

 its contents back again into the duodenum : the structure of the 

 duodenum, pylorus, and adjacent organs, is very similar to that 

 of those of the seal. It had been observed by Mr. Fisher, the 

 astronomer to the late expedition under Capt. Parry, that the 

 food of the walrus is the fnais digitaius, which is found in 

 great abundance in the Arctic seas, thrown up on the shores 

 by the waves, and also beneath the ice. 



The third fact to which Sir Everard Home adverted in this 

 communication relates to the structure of the funis and placenta 

 of the seal, as observed in a specimen of those parts brought 

 home by Lieut. Griffiths, one of the officers in the late expedition 

 under Capt. Parry. The vessels composing the former are not 

 twisted, and are about nine inches long ; at the distance of three 

 inches from the placenta, they anastomoze into blood-vessels, 

 which are connected with the placenta by three membranous 

 coats ; the whole conformation giving great freedom to the 

 embryonic circulation. Drawings of this subject and that last 

 noticed, made by Mr. Rose, a pupil under the author at St. 

 George's Hospital, were annexed to the paper. 



A communication was likewise read, entitled " Some further 

 Particulars of a Case of Pneumato-thorax ; by J. Davy, MD. 

 FRS." Of this we shall give an account in our next. 



ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. 



Feb.13. — This day being the fourth anniversary of the Society, 

 a numerous meeting of the members took place at the apart- 

 ments in Lincoln's Inn Fields ; when a very satisfactory report 

 upon the state of the Society's affairs and proceedings during 

 the last year was read, and ordered to be printed. This report 

 paid a due tribute of respect to several members whom the 

 Society has lost by death in the last year, and particularly to 

 Col. W. Lambton, of Madras, and Dr. Walbeck of the Observa- 

 tory at Abb. It gives a succinct account of the measurement 

 of the largest continuous arc of a meridian yet effected, which 

 occupied the former gentleman upwards of twenty years in 

 India. 



The Chairman (Mr. Colebrooke) then proceeded to distribute 

 the honorary rewards of the Society, viz. the Society's gold 

 medal to Charles Babbage, Esq. FRS. as a token of the high 



