1870.] DR. J. MURIE ON SAIGA TARTARICA. 479 
Nasal cartilages.—As has been shown, the lengthened capacious 
nasal organ of the Saiga is chiefly built up of soft substances, namely 
muscular, fibrous, and fatty structures, with an internal lining of 
sensitive, partially hairy, mucous membrane. The cartilages of the 
nose take but a minor part in its composition. It may be as well, 
however, that I describe these; and in so doing I refer to figure 5. 
This will enable the reader to comprehend the relation of the parts at 
the root of the nose, when the soft nares are removed, the cartilages 
alone remaining in contact with the bones. 
The septum narium (Sp) is remarkably long and deep; anteriorly 
and superiorly it is membranous, the more solid cartilaginous por- 
tion, or septal cartilage, being limited to a lengthened wedge-shaped 
splint. This arises from the vomer ; trends forwards and downwards 
on the floor of the nares to the anterior median groove separating 
the premaxillary bones. 
At the summit of the nasal region, above and in front, the septal 
narial cartilage projects for about an inch beyond the nasal bones. 
It is narrow and acutely wedge-shaped, the basal end but moderately 
broad, the point mingling with or being wedged between two elon- 
gated fibro-cartilaginous cords (/) presently to be spoken of. 
The two upper and posterior luteral cartilages (Ul) have each a 
shallow but widish semilunar contour, and partially fill the irregu- 
larly margined concavity betwixt the orbito-maxillary and nasal 
bones. The anterior horn of the crescent abuts against the median 
nasal cartilage, and outwardly is bounded by the alar cartilage. The 
post-infero-horn runs down towards the premaxillary, and by a cou- 
stricted isthmus joins what appears to represent a sesamoid cartilage, 
though in strictness this is little other than an inferior continuation 
of the upper lateral cartilage itself. ; 
The so-called sesamoid cartilage (Ss) is of small size, narrow, and 
arciform, and fits into a deepish pit of the bone at the lachrymo- 
maxillary orifice of the nasal duct, see *, fig. 4. 
The alar or lower lateral anterior cartilages (Ll) are the largest 
and thickest of the three pairs of nasal cartilages. Each possesses 
an elongated lozenge-shape, or is irregularly diamond-figured. The 
axis of the long diameter passes in a line nearly parallel with that 
between the apex of the nasal bones and the inferior border of the 
orbit, but is fully 3 an inch in front of these. The upper anterior 
angle of the alar cartilage, as has been intimated, is joined by an 
anterior slip from the upper lateral cartilage; and the united but 
produced portion lying outside the point of the superior portion of 
the septum narium is continued onwards. The pair of narrow cords 
(f), one on each of the median lines, are fibrous in texture and very 
elastic; and they proceed among the tissues of the summit of the 
nares, as far almost as the truncated extremity of the uares, laterally 
dwindling to a delicate film of glistening fibrous tissue. The infe- 
rior angle of the alar cartilage is curvilinear, the concavity forward 
and, broadening slightly below, bends inwards towards the nasa 
chamber. 
