^76 DR. M. WATSON ON THE [May 1, 



follicles above referred to. In respect therefore of the anal pouch 

 and glands H. crocuta agrees more closely with Proteles than with 

 any species of its own genus. 



Turning now to the female organs of other species, and comparing 

 them with those of //. crocuta, which have not, so far as I know, 

 been previously described, I find that Owen ' gives a description of 

 the ovary and its containing pouch, which almost exactly corresponds 

 to that given above. He does not, however, say to what species the 

 description applies, merely stating that it refers to the genus Eycena. 

 Murie^ figures the ovary of H. brunnea, but gives no description ; 

 and it is difficult to decide from the drawing as to whether the organ 

 is contained in a pouch, similar to that found in H. crocuta, or the 

 contrary. The uterus of H. crocuta appears to correspond accurately 

 in form to that of H. hrunnea as figured by Murie^ agreeing with 

 it especially as regards the elongated form of the corpus uteri. 

 The OS uteri of H. crocuta is smooth and non-papillose, in which 

 respects it agrees with Owen's'' generic description. The characteristic 

 peculiarities of the internal female generative organs of H. crocuta 

 are therefore to be found in the presence of the single passage lead- 

 ing from the os uteri to the exterior of the body for the conveyance 

 of both the urinary and genital products ; in none of the species 

 hitherto described does the same arrangement obtain. John Hunter^ 

 states that in H. striata the common vagina, by which term I 

 understand him to refer to the urino-genital canal, is only ] | inch in 

 length, whilst the proper vagina measures 5 inches. This descrip- 

 tion agrees with Murie's figure and description of the same parts in 

 H. brunnea. He describes the urethra as opening externally in the 

 anterior angle of the slit-shaped vulva, the opening being distinct 

 from that of the vagina. In both H. striata and H. brunnea, then, 

 the female urethra extends from the neck of the bladder to the 

 vulva, or, at least, close to it, leaving the urino-genital canal only about 

 an inch in length. In H. crocuta, on the other hand, as we have 

 seen, the urethra opens into the urino-genital canal close to the os 

 uteri, and consequently we have the urino-genital canal measuring 

 about 8 inches in length. Moreover in H. crocuta we have two Cow- 

 perian glands of large size opening into this canal, glands which 

 appear to be absent in the other species of the genus ; at least, they 

 have neither been described nor figured by Hunter, Owen, or Murie. 



The external parts of B. crocuta also differ materially from those 

 of allied species. We have before drawn attention to the enormous 

 size of the clitoris, and its perforation by the urino-genital canal in 

 this animal, as well as to the absence of any trace of a vulva pro- 

 perly so called. In respect of each of these points, H. crocuta 

 appears to differ from other species. 



Hunter'' says of H. striata : — " Below the anus opens the vagina : 

 there are no external lips ending in a projecting point, as in many 



1 Anat. ofVertebrates, vol. iii. p. 701. 



^ Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vii. pi. Ixiii. fig. 1, o. 



^ Trans. Zool. Soc. -vol. vii. pi. Ixiii. fig. 1, u. 



■• Ajiat. of Vertebrates, vol. iii. p. 701. 



' Essays and Observations, by Owen, vol. ii. p. bl. ^ Ibidem. 



