124 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE ANATOMY OF 



which arises from the angle of the jaw, perforates the parotid gland. A chain of 

 lymphatic glands is continued backward from beneath the parotid on the side of the neck. 



The representative of the subhngual gland forms a thin layer, divided for the most 

 part into narrow elongated lobes or groups of follicles (PI. XXXIX. fig. 2, fa), attached 

 to and spread over the inferior buccal membrane for an extent of twelve inches : the 

 greatest breadth of this layer is two and a half inches, and is opposite the angle of the jaw. 



There is a small elongated labial gland {ih. fig. 2, z), lying upon the fore part of the 

 buccinator, near its lower border, and sending its secretion into the side of the fore part 

 of the mouth ; apparently to lubricate that contracted aperture during the frequent and 

 rapid protrusive and retractile movements of the tongue. The buccal glands form a 

 very extensive but extremely thin stratum of muco-glandular follicles, closely attached 

 to the thin membrane of the mouth ; they are chiefly developed at the lower and lateral 

 parts, and along the middle of the upper surface of that part of the mouth which is 

 prolonged backward, below the similarly prolonged nasal canal, beyond the bony palate. 

 These glands terminate by innumerable very minute orifices upon the smooth inner sur- 

 face of the buccal membrane, which they serve to lubricate. They are continuous with 

 the better-marked series of follicles extending along the sides of the under surface of 

 the mouth, beneath the lower jaw, which represent the ' sublinguales.' But the glands 

 that pour out the abundant viscid secretion which lubricates the tongue and is mainly 

 subservient to its peculiar prehensile function in the Great Anteater, are those conjoined 

 or interblended pair that answer to the submaxillary salivary glands in other animals ; 

 which glands are most modified and developed, for a like function, in other species of 

 Myrmecophaga, in the Armadillos (Dasypus), and in the Echidna. 



In the little scansorial Myrmecophaga didactyla, the homologues of the submaxillary 

 glands (PI. XL. fig. 3, c, c) are subcervical and blended together, as in the larger species; 

 and a slender process {d) is continued from them to the labial gland, a. The duct (e) 

 commences by three tubes continued on each side from the main body of the gland ; 

 and these tubes dilate into a small reservoir, provided with a compressor muscle, before 

 the long and slender single duct is continued, covered by the mylohyoideus, to the sym- 

 physis of the jaw. The parotid gland is of very small relative size ; and this striking 

 difference in the proportions of the two chief salivary glands indicates the difference in 

 their functions and in the quality of their respective secretions. The labial glands (a) 

 are relatively larger in the Myrmecophaga didactyla than in ihe Myrmecophaga jubata ; and 

 there is a superadded aggregate of mucous follicles (b) behind the eyeball, in the shallow 

 orbit of the smaller species, the secretion of which enters near the angle of the mouth. 



In the Armadillos (Dasypus), the submaxillary glands are subcervical in position, and, 

 though large, are relatively less than in the true Anteaters {Myrmecophaga) ; they are also 

 disunited, but come into contact at their lower extremities. Figure 1 of PI. XL. 

 represents these glands, in situ, of the natural size, in the specimen of the Dasypus 

 sexcinctus described by me in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for July 1S32, 



