186 MR. J. W. CLARK ON THE VISCERAL [Feb\ 20, 



a small quantity of milk — part of the goat's milk that had been 

 swallowed a few hours before death. There was a good deal of me- 

 conium in the lower part of the bowel, and also a quantity of thick- 

 ened matter of a yellowish colour that had all the appearance of 

 being the faecal residue of milk ; but on this point it is difficult to 

 speak with certainty. On the whole, I am of opinion that death 

 was caused by want of nutriment- — a result due to the abnormal 

 conditions of the birth, which have been the same, so far as I 

 am aware, in all the recorded instances of Hippopotami born in 

 captivity. 



Subsequently I made a more detailed examination of the different 

 viscera. In this work I have been greatly aided by my assistant 

 Mr. T. W. Bridge ; and I have also had the benefit of the advice 

 and suggestions of Professor Humphry. 



The anatomy of the Hippopotamus was first investigated by Dau- 

 benton*, who dissected a foetus, and gave figures of the external and 

 internal disposition of the stomach. I am loath to find fault with a 

 man so painstaking as Daubenton was ; but I must confess that it is 

 very difficult, if not impossible, to learn any thing from his figures, 

 even with the actual stomach before you. Eighty-three years elapsed 

 before any thing further of importance was done ; and then Gra- 

 tiolet's elaborate monograph f appeared, published after his death by 

 Dr. Alix. He had dissected at least two individuals — a male aud a 

 female ; and Dr. Alix had the opportunity of verifying his statements 

 upon a third, that died at the Jardiu des Plantes while he was ar- 

 ranging the MS. for publication. Excellent as this work is, there 

 are still some points that need correction, and one at least (which I 

 shall discuss presently) about which further information is requested 

 by the author. The Hippopotamus that was burnt at the Crystal 

 Palace in 1866 was dissected by Dr. Crisp, who recorded some of 

 his observations in the Society's ' Proceedings' J. It will be seen that 

 the above researches have all been made on either foetal specimens 

 or very young animals, the oldest being that dissected by Dr. Crisp, 

 aged fourteen months and a few days. The only record of the dis- 

 section of an adult is by Prof. Peters §, but is unfortunately very 

 brief; what information he does give is extremely valuable. It is 

 remarkable that nothing should have been done with those that have 

 been born and died at Amsterdam. So far as I can discover, no 

 notices have been published respecting their anatomy ; it does not 

 even appear that they have been dissected. 



The few points that I shall dwell upon are, of course, only those 

 that have been inadequately or erroneously noticed by preceding in- 

 vestigators. I shall be careful not to go again over ground that has 

 been once thoroughly worked. 



The brain has been described and figured admirably by Gratiolet ; 

 there is also a short note on it by Peters. I pass therefore 



* In the twelfth volume of Buffon, ed. 1784. 



t 'Eecherches sur l'Anatomie de l'Hippopotame,' par Louis-Pierre Gratiolet. 

 4to. Paris, 1867. 



{ P. Z. S. 1867, pp. 601 and 689. 

 § Eeise nach Mossambique, p. 180. 



