﻿DR. J. MURIE ON THE THREE-BANDED ARMADILLO. 86 



foramen of Winslow is of a moderate size, and lies between the duodenum and the free 

 inner margin of the right half of the liver. 



These parts, the left lobe of the Hver, the stomach, the spleen, the left kidney and 

 part of the intestines, occupy the whole of the left half of the abdominal cavity * The 

 right half of the cavity contains, in front, the middle lobe of the liver, and behind 

 the chief portion of the convolutions of the intestines, and deeper the right and caudate 

 lobes of the liver, with the right kidney. 



As soon as the oesophagus has passed through the diaphragmatic aperture and entered 

 the abdommal cavity, it receives asi investment of peritonaeum. This, the gastro-hepatic 

 omentum &c., is adherent to the oesophagus and cardiac end of stomach ; and its layers, 

 uniting on the opposite side, form a sort of of mesogastrium, which fixes the lower end of 

 the oesophagus and cardiac end of stomach to the spine. 



The stomach itself I shall further make allusion to, but here note that the duodenum 

 passes at once to the right side of the spine, and then turns backwards alongside of the 

 vertebral column. It then goes to the upper and posterior part of the brim of the pelns, 

 and is there fixed by peritonaeum. Transferring our description of the visceral attacli- 

 ments to the rectum, I may observe that this is very wide. It passes up the middle line 

 of the vertebral column as far as the pyloric end of the stomach, where, becoming a truly 

 large intestine, it makes a loop, passes over to the right side of the spine, and bends 

 back to near the level of the upper end of the right kidney. It ihm is flexed ui)on if bcif 

 forwards, and, suddenly narrowing, passes into small intestine without forming a diver- 

 ticular caecum. The part of it which arches across, obviously corresponds to the trans- 

 verse colon, and is bound to the vertebral column by a comparatively small mesocolon. 

 The mesocolon is continuous backwards with the mesentery, which extends as far as 

 the brim of the pelvis. The mesentery stretches to the right side of the body ; and to 

 the greater part of its bi'oad plaited margin the several coils of tlie small intcstijic arc 

 fastened. The last one and a half inch of the great intestine is, properly speaking, con- 

 tained in the commencement of the mesentery. 



To a most serviceable description and figures of the viscera separately, Alessandrini * has 

 superadded a ventral view of the opened body, with organs in situ of an adult male 

 -D. sexcinctus, and of a full-grown ? foetus of D. Q-cinctus. In both the exposed portion 

 of the liver is much greater than in the present (fig. 10, PI. XXIII.), and, on tlic con- 

 trary, the stomach and greater intestine occupy a less prominent position. The said 

 relative disposition does not altogether agree with what I have met with in dissections of 

 the same species ; albeit in them the great breadth and fulness of the anterior mass of 

 the liver is considerable. Hyrtl's figure'' of the eviscerated parts of Chlamydoplioruf^ 

 supports in resemblances Alessandrini's delineations. 



Stomach, Intestines, ^c. — The gastric crgan is pear-shaped, the elongate pyloric 



extremity narrowing into the duodenum. The cardiac end is somcw hat dilated ; and 

 the gullet enters about the middle of the viscus. The rough measurements of the 

 stomach, when distended, are 1] in short, and 2\ inches in long diameter. The wall of 



' Memoir, 1856, already referred to, pi. xii. & pi. xvii. fig. 2. ' Tab. v. fig. 1 of bis Mon»"rai>h, p. IH. 



