1879.] 



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



431 



and thick elastic folds, 2§ inches long. The false vocal cords hardly 

 exist. Between the two is a slight laryngeal pouch, which extends 

 backwards a little way, as in the Indian Elephant (Miall and 

 Greenwood, I. c. p. 76). The muscles of the larynx closely agree 

 with those described by the last-named anatomists. The superior 



Fig. 6. 



Larynx of African Elephant (about half nat, size) viewed somewhat obliquely 

 from behind. The thyroid cartilage has been removed, a, points to the 

 double facet of the crico-thyroid ariculation. 



fibres of the crico-arytcenoideus posticus run transversely across 

 in the interval left above by the more inferior, diverging fibres of that 

 muscle. 



Urino- genital System. — The kidneys lie in the usual position. 

 Their shape is an irregular oval. The" following details refer to the 

 single kidney (right) which I preserved for further examination. 

 The length is 10 inches, the breadth about 6. The hilus is not mar- 

 ginal, but lies about 1 inch from the side ; its length is 4| inches. 

 The weight of the kidney is 3 lb. The kidney is indistinctly divided 

 into eight lobes, which are of varying size and shape ; one lobe is 

 scarcely visible on the hilar surface. These lobes are essentially di- 

 stinct, each consisting of a cortical and medullary part, not, however, 

 very clearly marked off from each other. The Malpighian corpus- 

 cles are clearly visible. Perrault's figure of the kidney (/. c. pi. 20) 

 is too elongated and shows uo lobes. The number of lobes in the 

 kidney of E. indicus has been variously stated at from two to eight or 

 nine. The suprarenal bodies resemble those of the Indian species. 



The ureters open into the bladder by semilunar slits about 2 inches 

 from its orifice. The neck of the bladder is short and thick. 



The female organs are formed on precisely the same type as those of 

 the Indian species 1 , consisting of a long urino-genital passage ("the 

 common vagina, which is common to the urine and penis " of Hunter), 



1 Cf. Hunter, 'Observations,' &c. ii. p. 175; Mayer, 1. c. p. 37, t. vi ■ Owen 

 Anat. Vert. iii. p. 692; Miall and Greenwood, I. c. p. 62. pi. h. 



