112 PEOF. M. WATSON ON THE ANATOMY OF THE 



I would here express my indebtedness to Mr. Forbes for permitting me to examine 

 the oro-ans of the African Elephant which he has lately so accurately described in the 

 ' Proceedings ' of this Society. This examination has enabled me to confirm in all 

 respects Mr. Forbes's observations, at the same time that it has put me in a position to 

 make a more accurate comparison of the female organs of the two species than would 

 have been possible from the perusal of any description, however perfect, of the organs 

 of one or of both species. I have further to acknowledge with thanks the kindness of 

 Messrs. Miall and Greenwood in affording me an opportunity of comparing their dis- 

 sections of the female organs of the Indian Elephant with those of my own specimen. 



ExTEKNAi, Organs. 

 Unfortunately, before I examined the specimen the skin had been removed ; and con- 

 sequently the appearances of the external genital fissure could not be noted. The 

 urino-genital canal, however, remained intact ; and the position of its anterior extremity 

 showed that, as observed by Perrault in the African, and by HoueP, Stukeley^ Miall 

 and Greenwood in the species now under consideration, the vulva is placed upon the 

 lower aspect of the abdomen, and opens, not backward, as in the majority of mammals, 

 but dotvnwards ami fonvard, the orifice being situated between the thighs. 



Internal Organs. 

 Rectum. — About one foot in length of the posterior extremity of the rectum remained 

 attached to the genital organs. This portion of the gut passes horizontally backward, 

 and terminates at the anus in the usual manner. The peritoneum does not invest this 

 part of the gut, being reflected from the intestine to the uterus below, and to the pelvic 

 wall above, at a point somewhat in front of the part met with in my dissection. The 

 walls of the gut are extremely thick, and consist of four distinct coats. Enumerated 

 from without inwards these are — {a) a very thick layer of connective tissue, {b) an 

 equally strong coat of longitudinally arranged muscular fibres, (e) a layer of circularly 

 arranged muscular fibres, {d) the mucous membi-ane. The latter is very dense and tough, 

 and is thrown into well-defined longitudinal rugte. These, for the most part, run parallel 

 to the long axis of the gut ; but here and there, especially towards the anal orifice, the 

 larger folds are connected together by shorter, obliquely placed, and anastomosing rugae. 

 Scattered over the surface of the mucous membrane, for the most part at intervals of 

 about one fourth of an inch, is a number of apertures of size sufficient to admit the 

 head of a pin. Although for the most part separated from one another by the distance 

 above mentioned, these apertures are at places more closely aggregated together, so as to 

 form irregular patches. These apertures are the mouths of minute intestinal glands. 



' Hietoire naturelle des deux ulephans, male et femelle, du Museum de Paris, 1803. 



' On the Spleen, to which is added some Anatomical Observations on the Dissection of an Elephant : Lond. 

 1723, p. 104. 



