1879.] 



MR. W. A. FORBES ON THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT. 



423 



tending from near the papilla of Wharton's duct towards the tip, 

 where it becomes obsolete, is a slightly raised longitudinal line. 

 Below this are the openings of a considerable number of small 

 glands, situated, apparently, in the substauce of the tongue itself. 

 Above and behind this line are scattered about a few fungiform 

 papillae ; but these get smaller, and ultimately disappear, towards 

 the middle line, and extend but a small distance backwards over the 

 sides of the tongue. 



In a line with, and continued back from, this raised line, a single 



W.D. 



Tongue of the African Elephant (reduced). 

 W.D. Wharton's duct; M.O. Mayer's organ. 



series of rather conspicuous, elevated papillae, apparently of a glan- 

 dular nature, is seen. These are continuous behind with " Mayer's 

 organ " ', a series of vertical slit-like depressions, the larger of which 

 are each provided with a pair of glandular papillae, probably con- 

 nected with mucous glands in the substance of the tongue. I counted 

 about thirty-three slits in this organ, which extends backwards on 

 the sides of the tongue for 5| inches, till within about an inch of the 

 circumvallate papilla*. The slits are largest and deepest, and have 

 their glands proportionately larger, a little before the end of the 

 organ : the longest slit is \ inch long. In the anterior part of the 

 organ the papillae of the sides of the tongue stand on the ridges 

 between the slits ; but more posteriorly this arraugemeut disappears 

 The circumvallate papillae are situated near the back of the tongue, 

 and nearer the middle line than the glands and papillae just described. 

 On the right side there are four, on the left three, with indications 

 of a fourth. The posterior ones are considerably the larger (§ inch 

 in diameter). The tongue is rounded off and considerably narrowed 

 behiud the circumvallate papillae. In the walls of the pharynx in 

 this region are a few irregular, raised, glandular patches, which attain 

 a considerable size in the middle line. 



The tonsils are rather large and deep depressions. In the bottom 

 are seen the openings of many conspicuous and rather large solitary 



1 So called in honour of its discoverer, Dr. C. Mayer (cf. Not. Act. Acad. 

 C. L. vol. xs. p. 746). 



