1895. J ON THE HEART OF THE ALLIGATOR. 343 



Coke's and Lichtenstein's Hartebeests representing the transitional 

 stages to the purely Cape form Buhalis caama. 



There is a very curious breed of cattle which is the common 

 form in IJrundi, Karagwe, and Mpororo, and also occurs sporadi- 

 cally in Buddu. The most singular feature is the enormous horns, 

 sometimes three feet long and as far apart at the tips. The udder 

 is very small and the himip inconspicuous. They are brown all 

 over, not like the other breeds. They have a peculiar way of 

 walking ; the fore and hind feet seem to reach the same spot, so 

 that their paths constitute a series of transverse ridges separated 

 by furrows. It seems that they are closely related to the Galla 

 or Sanga Ox of Abyssinia, which were first discovered by Bruce, 

 The Wahima race, which are in a purer condition in this part of 

 Africa than anywhere else, probably brought these animals with 

 them fi'om Abyssinia, and they have proI:)ably remained ever since 

 in tliis country, i. e. about 5000-7U00 feet in the TJrundi hills and 

 also in Mpororo. 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On the Structure of the Heart of the Alligator. By 

 Frank E. Beddard, F.R.S., Prosector to the Society, 

 and P. Chalmers Mitchell, M.A., F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived May 6, 1894.] 



We have recently had the opportunity of examining the heart 

 of a large Alligator {Allujator lucius), lately living in the Society's 

 Reptile-house. As none of the existing figures of the heart of this 

 Crocodilian, particularly of the valves, appears to us adequate, it 

 seems to be worth while to enter into the matter again. The best 

 and most numerous illustrations of the heart are contained in a 

 work by Prof. Sabatier^ None of them, however, shows, clearly 

 the relative proportions of muscle and fibrous tissue in the 

 auriculo-ventricular valves, which is a matter of such importance 

 in comparing the hearts of the higher vertebrates. Gegeubaur's 

 well-known paper upon the heart of the Crocodile and the 

 Monotreme " has no illustrations at all, while Prof. Lankester ' 

 has, in our opinion, not given aa absolutely accurate figure of the 

 right auriculo-ventricular valve, though the illustration is sufficient 

 to bring out the points with which he was concerned in the paper, 

 which did not profess to be a detailed description of the Cro- 

 codile's heart. The heart of the Alligator, as has already been 

 noted, lies exceedingly far back in the abdominal cavity enclosed 



1 "Le Cceur et la Circulation des Vertebres," Inaug. Diss., Montpellier, 1873. 

 ^ " Zur vergleichenden Anatoinie des Herzens," Jen. Zeitschr. 1866. 

 3 " On the Right Cardiac Valve of Echidna, etc.,'' P. Z. S. 1883, p. 8, pi. iv. 

 figs. 1, 2. 



