362 PIGEON'S MILK. 



said to have been discovered, and described by a 

 French naturalist;* and it is by no means im- 

 probable that such will be found to be the 

 case with other amphibia. It is a subject to 

 which I would urge the attention of some of 

 our English observers ; as I believe nothing has 

 yet been added by them to Mr. Hunter's facts. 

 In the last edition of his paper on this subject, 

 there is not even a suggestion by the editor, and 

 Mr. Owen is equally vague in the article u Aves " 

 Cyclopaedia of Anatomy, as he gives simply a 

 passing quotation, and a reference to Mr. Hunter's 

 work. 



The fluid, or curdy matter, has never, I believe, 

 been carefully examined. Its chemical characters 

 and ultimate structure would furnish an interesting 

 subject for enquiry, and should be subjected to a 

 microscopical examination, during the progressive 

 changes in the crops both of male and female. 

 The lining membrane of the crops should also be 

 microscopically examined, for if the secretion dif- 

 fers, it is most probable that the membrane does 

 also. 



Since writing the above, I have been informed 

 by my intelligent friend, Mr. Gulliver, that a pro- 

 cess like that which takes place in the crop of 



* The observations respecting the ingluvial milk of crocodiles 

 are to be found in a work published in 1809, by Descourtilz, en- 

 titled " Voyages," page 56. 



