Zoological Society. 151 



The folds of the psalterium resembled those of most other Rumi- 

 nants. 



The ccecum was a simple cylindrical gut, as in other Ruminants ; 

 its circumference about six inches. The disposition of the colon re- 

 sembled that of the Deer. 



The presence of a gall-bladder, distinguishing the hollow-homed 

 from the solid- horned Ruminants, made the investigation of this point 

 in the anatomy of the Giraffe one of extreme interest ; and Mr. Owen 

 remarks, that the result of his examination of three individuals shows 

 the caution which should be exercised in generalizing upon the facts 

 of a single dissection. 



In the first Giraffe (Mr. Cross's female) a large gall-bladder was 

 present, having the ordinary position and attachments, but presenting 

 the unusual structure of a bifid fundus. Upon making a longitu- 

 dinal incision down its side, it was found to be divided throughout 

 its length by a vertical septum of double mucous membrane, form- 

 ing two reservoirs of equal size ; the organ in fact was double, each 

 bladder having a smooth lining membrane, and communicating sepa- 

 rately with the commencement of a single cystic duct. 



In the two Giraflfes subsequently dissected not a vestige of this organ 

 could be detected, the bile in them being conveyed by a rather wide 

 hepatic duct to the duodenum. Mr. Owen therefore concludes that the 

 absence of the gall-bladder is the normal condition, and that the 

 Giraffe in this respect has a nearer affinity to the Deer than to the 

 Antelopes. 



The cranial plexus of the internal carotid artery was much less 

 developed than in the ordinary grazing Ruminants. 



The brain of the Giraffe closely resembled, in its general form, and 

 in the number, disposition, and depth of the convolutions, that of the 

 Deer : it was more depressed than in the Ox, and the cerebrum was 

 wholly anterior to the cerebellum. The anterior contour of the 

 cerebral hemispheres was somewhat truncated. 



The olfactory nerves were large, as in most Ruminantia, andter- 

 minated in expanded bulbs, in length 1^ inch, in breadth 1 inch : 

 these were lodged in special compartments of the cranial cavity. The 

 optic nerves and ninth pair were relatively larger than in the Deer. 

 The other cerebral nerves presented no peculiarity. 



The spinal chord had a close investment of dura mater, and was 

 remarkable for the great length of its cervical portion, which, in the 

 Giraflfe dissected at the Zoological Gardens, measured upwards of 

 three feet, the entire length of the animal from the muzzle to the 

 vent being eight feet. Mr, Owen here particularly describes the ap- 

 pearance in the origins of the cervical nerves depending upon the 



