534 



RUMINANTIA. 



ward, and are by far the most abundant of 

 all these structures; they are very closely 

 set together at the tip, and have a horny epi- 

 dermal covering, approaching in this respect 

 the rasp-like retroverted spines on the tongue 

 of Carnivora. The fungiform or spherical 

 gustatory papillae are sparsely scattered here 

 and there, but somewhat closely aggregated 

 at the lingual margins. In the Giraffe, not- 

 withstanding the deposition of a dark purple 

 pigment which distinguishes the anterior half 

 of the tongue, the last named papillae present 

 a very striking appearance, resembling so 

 many small highly polished beads of a deep 

 black colour. They are well shown in the 

 annexed woodcut {fig. 357.). The conical 

 papillae situated behind and towards the root, 

 may be grouped under the same category as 

 the retroverted filiform spines seen in front ; 

 but as they proceed in the direction of the 

 pharynx their conoidal character becomes 

 obliterated, and they assume a more or less 

 flattened oval or rounded form. The papilla 

 rircumvallates, though not occurring in great 

 numbers, are largely developed, and in the 

 Camel exhibit a very complicated structure 

 (Meckel) ; the middle projecting portion, 

 instead of being smooth and single, is split 

 up, as it were, into numerous finely serrated 

 secondary filaments, leaving a small central 

 depression unoccupied, while the elevated 

 circumferential margin outside the circular 

 fossa shows at the same time a tendency to 

 subdivision (b y 6, fig. 358). In the Giraffe 



Fig. 358. 



Section from the base of the tongue of the Bactrian 

 Camel. (From F. Mtiller and Wedl.) 



and Deer they offer a faint indication of the 

 central dimple, but their character otherwise 

 accords with the appearances usually pre- 

 sented. 



The muscles of the tongue, as already hinted, 

 display few marked deviations from the or- 

 dinary mammiferous type ; nevertheless, the 



comparative glossologist recognises in these 

 slight differences, points fraught with peculiar 

 anatomical and physiological interest. To 

 enunciate this speciality fully in all its bear- 

 ings would demand more time and space 

 than has been placed at our disposal, and it 

 is not without regret that we are compelled 

 to limit the exposition of so captivating a 

 subject to the few following remarks, gathered 

 in great measure from the monograph of Mr. 

 Zaglas and the observations of Professor 

 Owen on the tongue of the Giraffe. For- 

 tunately, we have had an opportunity of con- 

 firming the previously recorded particulars 

 concerning the lingual organisation of this 

 remarkable animal, and in regard to the 

 myological arrangements of the tongue in 

 other ruminants, the writings of Cuvier, 

 Blandin, and others, furnish some important 

 details.* 



The styloglossus rises from the lowermost 

 extremity of the styloid bone, and extends 

 along the under surface of the tongue as far 

 as the tip, being separated only from the 

 muscle of the opposite side by the interposed 

 genio-glossi. It is powerfully developed in 

 the Giraffe, and is confined in its position by 

 strongly marked bands of muscular fibre di- 

 rected outwards from the superior border of 

 the genio-glossus (where that muscle dips 

 into the medullary substance), to the mar- 

 ginal expansion of the lingual fascia investing 

 the dorsum. This muscle is of small dimen- 

 sions in the Camel. The hyo-glossus is a 

 compound structure, its several portions dif- 

 fering only from those in man by being more 

 distinct and widely separated ; the division 

 recognised as the ccrato-glossus by the human 

 anatomist is usually described as the stylo- 

 glossus minor in the lower animals. The 

 genio-glossus varies considerably in size, and 

 is unconnected with any part of the hyoid 

 apparatus (Blandin) ; ordinarily, the laminae 

 of each muscle are easily parted in conse- 

 quence of the looseness of the interposed 

 areolar substance as far as the mesial line, 

 where the fibres begin to dovetail into one 

 another. In Man the fasiculi are short and 

 comparatively thick, but in the Deer and 

 Camel the two muscles are thin and united 

 anteriorly. These applied muscular laminae 

 are very strong, and have a great longitudinal 

 extension in the Giraffe ; posteriorly they 

 admit of easy separation, but in front the 

 fibres are intermixed, attenuated, and with 

 difficulty isolated. In connection with this 

 part of the subject it may be remarked that 

 the researches of Mr. Zaglas have shown the 

 septum (line a albesccns of Caldani) or car- 

 tilago-lingualis to have no real existence in 

 the Sheep, Deer, Calf, or Camel; and we may 

 add that our own examinations prove that 

 this structure is likewise absent in the Giraffe. 

 The value of this observation is enhanced 

 when we bear in mind, that in other mam- 

 mals the Carnivora more especially this 



* Blandin, These Inaug. sur la Structure de la 

 Langue de Bceuf ; also, Memoire, &c., Archiv. Gen., 

 torn. i. 1823. 



