ON THE MANATEE. ; 307 
the classification of animals, as it seems almost impossible that there 
should not be from the comparative constancy in their size in closely 
allied species and genera, then the relationships of the Manatee to the 
Artiodactylate Ungulates must be most distant, as small size of blood- 
disks is a special peculiarity of those latter animals, the largest being 
<oro of an inch in diameter, namely in the European Bison (Bison 
bonassus). In the Elephant and Edentates, on the contrary, the blood- 
disks are particularly large. 
With reference to the digestive organs there is not much for me to 
add to previous descriptions. In the stomach of our specimen the 
plications of the mucous membrane were slightly different from the 
figures given by Dr. Murie. Several well-marked, though not large 
longitudinal folds run along the lesser curvature of the first cavity 
from the cardiac orifice to the entrance of the second. These are 
bounded on the vertebral and ventral faces of the organ by a large, 
similarly directed fold, which imperfectly separates off the irregularly 
plicated portion in connection with the greater curvature from that in 
the region of the lesser. The mucous membrane of the second 
stomach is raised into rounded anfractuous folds, much like those of 
the human cerebral surface. The muscular parietes of the whole 
organ are very thick, extraordinarily so at the cardiac end. There is 
no pyloric dilatation of the duodenum. The intestines in their mus- 
cularity are very cat-like. A large number of vessels, forming quite 
a rete mirabile, is to be found at the ileo-cecal valve, in the angle 
between the large and small intestines. As Dr. Murie states, the ceca 
and the commencement of the colon are, when undisturbed, situated Page 141, 
in the left diaphragmatic corner of the umbilical region of the abdo- 
men. The following are the lengths of the intestinal viscera :— 
ft. in 
POIGAGUE SINGURUENG <7. snc oe as ewes new cacao ol 2 
Large miteghine <5 cde vers <a va wna wees ss 20 3 
Ceeca from apices to ileo-cecal valve...... 0 33 
Each cecum externally............----+- 0 13 
The stomach was small in comparison with the size of the animal. 
The same may be also more certainly said of the bifid heart and of the 
lozenge-shaped spleen. 
The liver has a very peculiar shape, resulting from the very 
aberrant position of the lungs, which much curtail the transverse 
space usually occupied by that organ. Dr. Murie remarks, “ In situ, 
but still more so when removed, the entire liver has great resemblance 
in shape to the inflated lungs of an ordinary mammal.” This accu- 
rate simile would be even more so if the organ were compared to the 
lungs of a mammal distended with, say, solid jelly, and then cut down 
x2 
