1883.] TONGUKS OF THE MARSUPIALS. 615 



parently the structure are as in Phalangista. There are the same 

 serous glands connected with the grooves, and the same distal 

 mucous glands. The grooves are similar in being less regular than 

 in higher mammals. Sometimes there are patches of adenoid tissue 

 close beneath the bulbs. Sometimes, even here, there is a slight 

 rising to the lips of an opening, just suggesting the mouth of a 

 gland. There are the usual nerve-cells in the nerves going to the 

 bulbs. The bulbs seemed few and irregularly placed in the furrows, 

 but this may be due to change in the tissue. 



C. The Fun(jiforin PapillcE. — Nothing could be made of their 

 structure, but tliey are almost certainly similar to those of other 

 marsupials (e. g. Phalangista). 



II. Mechanical and Tactile Structures. 



A. The Coronate Pnpillce. — These papillae are often oval just 

 above the tip, the lung axis being directed antero-posteriorly. It is 

 common to find 8-10 secondary papillse in the rings. I calculated 

 that there are rather under 40 papillae to the square millimetre. I 

 could not find any isolated hair-like papillae in the tongue. The 

 papillae are much recurved anteriorly, especially at the tip, where 

 vertical sections seem to indicate a modification of the usual struc- 

 ture ; but this part was much altered. Horizontal sections, taken 

 posteriorly just in font of the anterior circumvallate papillse in the 

 middle line, show rather irregular rings of secondary papillae, as in Pha- 

 langista ; the common number in a ring seems to be 8-10. When 

 crowding or irregularity occurs, it is at the anterior side of a ring. 

 There are about 37 papillae to the square millimetre. The upper cells 

 of the main papillae stain deeply, exactly as described in Perameles 

 (see paper above noticed). The curvature of the secondary papillae 

 becomes less posteriorly, and over a large region only the tips are 

 recurved, the papillae being tall and slender and very beautiful. 

 Again posteriorly tliey become recurved. (See fig. xxvi. Plate LV., 

 which represents a similar papilla of Macropus.) The non-papillate 

 epithelium at the side of the organ is smooth and without papillary 

 upgrowths ; it appears to be simple. The transition into the 

 coronate papillae is sudden, and the latter curve inwards as well as 

 backwards, the inward curve being especially marked towards the 

 middle line, but outside this rather irregularly. Behind the limits 

 of the coronate papillae on the upper surface the epithelium be- 

 comes smooth, and there are some indications of complexity. 



B. The Filiform Papillee. — Nothing could be made out certainly, 

 but their shape and position indicate that they are normal in other 

 respects. 



This tongue is very close to Phalangista. 



The Tongue of Acrobates pijgmceus. 



I am only able to give a general description of this interesting 

 little tongue (the species is the " Opossum Mouse," the smallest 

 marsupial). There is the most remarkable difference in size be- 



