118 PEOP. M. "WATSON ON THE ANATOMY OF THE 



which is apparently a hymen." I have, through the kindness of Prof. Miall, had an 

 opportunity of examining the organs from which his description was drawn up, and can 

 testify to the accuracy of the latter. In Prof. Miall's specimen, therefore, as in those 

 dissected by Hunter', Mayer", and Stukeley there was a unilocular corpus uteri. Owen^ 

 likewise refers to the presence of a unilocular corpus uteri in the Indian Elephant. 



Since writing the above I have received drawings of preparations, numbered 2775 and 

 2776, of the female organs of the Indian Elephant contained in the Museum of the 

 Royal College of Surgeons of England, together with the descriptions contained in the 

 Catalogue. The preparations from the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons are 

 probably those from which Hunter and Owen drew up their descriptions, and show 

 the presence of a secondary vagina as distinguished from the uterus, as well as of a 

 uterine septum which does not extend throughout the entire length of the latter. In 

 this specimen, therefore, there is also a unilocular corpus uteri as distinguished from 

 the conjoined portions of the cornua uteri. 



The diversity of statement with regard to the extension of the utero-vaginal 

 septum in the Indian Elephant leads to one of two conclusions : either the extent to 

 which the septum uteri is developed varies in different specimens of the same species — 

 a view which does not appear probable, but one which is nevertheless borne out by a 

 comparison of the observations of Miall and Greenwood and myself on the Indian, as 

 well as of those of Perrault and Forbes on the African Elephant ; or it is possible that 

 the difference may be explained in view of the occurrence or non-occurrence of preg- 

 nancy in the various specimens examined. On the supposition that any particular 

 specimen had borne young, it appears not improbable that a portion of the septum 

 may have been ruptured, and that thus the uterus, which previous to parturition had 

 been possessed of a complete septum and of two ora uteri, may have been so far altered 

 as to present a unilocular corpus and single os uteri. At the same time it ought to be 

 stated that the result of Miall and Greenwood's dissection is rather opposed to this 

 view, as it appears unlikely, were the disappearance of the utero-vaginal septum due to 

 changes taking place at the time of parturition, that its posterior extremity should re- 

 main in the form of a thick rounded cord (described by Miall and Greenwood as the 

 hymen) when all the rest had disappeared. Further observations are necessary before 

 this point can be regarded as settled, which it can only be by the examination of the 

 female organs of animals at different ages. It appears improbable that a septum 

 vaginse should exist in one specimen and not in another, except on the supposition that 

 a utero-vaginal septum is originally present in each individual, and only gradually dis- 

 appears as the animal approaches sexual maturity. 



Miall and Greenwood*, the latest writers on the anatomy of the Indian Elephant, find, 

 as already stated, that what I have described as the corpus uteri is divisible into two 



' Loc. cit. p. 175, ' Loc. cit. p. 38. ' Anatomy of Vertebrates, toI. iii. p. 692. ' Loc. cit. p. 63. 



