432 SCHULTE, SEI WHALE. 



described by Watson. 1 There is no foramen ccecum and no circumvallate papillae are present. 

 The tip of the tongue is rounded, and has a thin crenate border covered by slightly roughened 

 epithelium. On the dorsum, from each end of this border a low ridge, rather rough and papil- 

 la ted is prolonged for about half the length of the organ. Elsewhere the surface is very smooth. 

 The midline is marked by a depression which broadens at the tip, and only partially corresponds 

 to the vomerine ridge on the palate. The sublingua is represented by a triangular area on 

 the ventral surface of the free extremity. It is defined by two furrows which converge towards 

 the free margin which they fail of reaching by about 2 mm. Their terminal segments do not 

 meet but become parallel. They thus define a triangle the apex of which is produced into a 

 narrow strip. This latter is slightly depressed, while the triangle is convex and rises a little above 

 the adjacent surface. There is no frenulum, and no plica fimbriata. The tongue is very soft, 

 which depends in part upon the arrangement of the genioglossi and the interposition between 

 them of a considerable quantity of fat. 



The roof of the mouth is narrower and more pointed rostrally than the floor, depending 

 upon the less development of the upper lips and their being overlapped in a considerable portion 

 of their course by the prominent margins of the lower. The palate in the region of the rostrum 

 is triangular attaining its greatest breadth in front of the temporal muscles. It then narrows 

 rapidly, a shallow depression being formed on each side, between the margin of the palate process 

 of the maxilla rostrad, the temporal muscle laterad, and the internal pterygoid mesad. This 

 is separated from the orbital aponeurosis by a small quantity of fat; its epithelium is pigmented. 

 Caudal of this the oral cavity is truncated by the transverse partition of the velum. The median 

 line of the palate is marked by a sagittal ridge in its middle third, which corresponds to the 

 ventral border of the vomer. This is bounded by two narrow concavities which run together 

 in front of the ridge and continue almost to the tip of the rostrum. Lateral to these and extend- 

 ing to the labial sulci are two broader convexities the displaced alveolar processes. In no 

 portion of the oral cavity proper, nor in the vestibule could I find evidence of the presence of 

 salivary glands. 



Fauces. The fauces are drawn out to a narrow canal, measuring in length 13.5 mm. from 

 the oral orifice to the edge of the velum palati in the pharynx. Transversely the lumen is 4 mm., 

 vertically it increases from a mere slit proximad to about 4 mm. distad as it joins the pharynx. 

 Its oral orifice is about midway between the roof and floor of the mouth, the latter deepening 

 to a shallow fossa between it and the tongue. The diaphragm-like plate that terminates the 

 oral cavity caudad is formed by the palatoglossus muscle, a tubular extension of which is pro- 

 longed upon the faucial canal. This passage after a horizontal course caudad for about half its 

 length, turns abruptly ventrad to reach the dorsum of the hyoid and again approaching the 

 horizontal enters the most ventral portion of the pharynx to the right of the epiglottis. Its 

 wall appears faintly granular under a lense, which is probably due to the presence of glands. 

 I found no trace of a tonsil. 



Pharynx. As compared with the narrow fauces and oesophagus, the pharynx forms a marked 

 dilatation of the alimentary canal, in the transverse as well as in its dorso-ventral diameter. 

 It attains its greatest breadth between the hyoid bars; rostrad it is contracted between the 

 auditory bullse, here resting against the basis cranii and forming a funnel-shaped approach to 



1 Watson, M. Contributions to the anatomy of the Indian Elephant (Elephas indicus). P. XIII, The Head. Jour. Anat. and 

 Pliys., Vol. 8, 1873, p. 85. Vide Weber, Die Saugetiere, 1904, p. 722. 



