VESTIGIAL STRUCTURES. 87 
It has been doubted whether these pendulous bodies 
are of the nature of auricles, and it is desirable that 
the evidence should be put before the reader which 
favours such an interpretation. An auricle, or pinna, 
may be defined as an enlarged operculum in a mam- 
mal, consisting of a framework of yellow elastic 
cartilage covered with skin, simi- 
lar to that on the rest of the 
body, and containing striped 
muscle-fibre. 
The cervical auricle, such as 
is seen in the neck of the girl 
on page 83, agrees with this 
definition in every particular ; 
it contains yellow elastic carti- 
lage, is skin-covered, and has 
muscle-fibre attached to it, as 
may be seen on reference to the 
magnified sketch of a section of 
a small cervical auricle removed 
from a child’s neck, immediately 
above the inner end of the AW 
Fic. 45.—Vettical section of the 
cervical auricle of a Goat. C, 
the definition, we require to show cartilage; M, muscle-fibre. 
(Nat. size.) 
clavicle. In order to complete 
that they are enlarged or persis- 
tent opercula. The specimen, from which the drawing, 
fig. 44, was prepared was associated with a persistent 
branchial cleft, and in the cases where clefts are not 
persistent, the auricles are situated at spots exactly 
corresponding to the point where such fistulae open; and, 
as has already been mentioned, one member of a family 
