1900.] * SOFT ANATOMY OF THE MUSK-OX. 153 



sixth are situated more centrally and covered by the other coils. 

 The seventh lies between the second and first coil, but the eighth 

 is still more peripheric. At 8 in the figure it is shown to make a 

 long loop {(j), and then having returned upon itself it passes out 

 in the periphery of the mesentery near the short convolutions of 

 the small intestine, to which it is fixed with a narrow (about 3 cm.) 

 mesentery. Owing to this narrowness of the mesentery, the large 

 intestine is forced to make some undulations, although not so many 

 or so deep as the small intestine. When the large intestine has 

 come to the pancreas region it leaves the mesentery of the jejunum, 

 and becomes connected with the first part of the colon (the first 

 coil) iu a direction opposite to that of the latter towards the right 

 side, and, returning upon itself, makes a loop, both ends of which 

 are closely connected at x in the figure. Then it passes backward 

 into the rectum. 



With regard to the figure, it is to be observed that the intestine 

 is laid out and the coils of the spiral are pulled apart a little ; the 

 upper parts of the spiral being to the right and the lower parts 

 to the left, so as to make all the coils at least partly visible. 



When comparing the large intestine of Ovibos with that of other 

 Euminants, it becomes evident that the former is more developed 

 and thrown into more coils (4 centripetal and 4 centrifugal). If 

 the spiral coils are counted in the same manner as above, we find 

 that the colon of Cajweolus makes 2i centripetal spiral coils and 

 2J retrograde or centrifugal ones. The same organ in Capra and 

 Ovis makes 3 centripetal and 3 retrograde spiral coils. In Bos, as 

 a rule, only 2 centripetal and 2 centrifugal coils (sometimes only 

 1| of each) can be discerned. 



The situation of the last centrifugal coil is different in Ovis and 

 Capra on the one side, and Bos on the other, since in the two 

 former it lies peripherally quite close to the coils of the small 

 intestine. The same is also the case in Ovibos, as already stated ; 

 but although this characteristic separates Ovibos from Bos, it has 

 no value for uniting Ovibos with the Ovine group, because the same 

 condition is also found in other Euminants, as, for instance, 

 Capreolus, in which the mesentery between the small and the large 

 intestine is lg-2g cm. It is therefore probable that this is an 

 ancient character retained by most Euminants except the Bovine 

 group. The situation of the colon gives therefore no reason for 

 uniting Ovibos with Ovis and Capra in a subfamily of Cavicornia. 

 On the contrary, the greater development of the spiral coils 

 indicates that the Musk-ox is differentiated with regard to this 

 organ from the others. The same result may be obtained by 

 comparing the measurements of the different parts of the intestine 

 with each other, and comparing this relation with the correspondig 

 one in other species. The length of the different parts of the 

 intestine of the Musk-ox measured in a preserved state, but still 

 adherent to the mesentery, is as follows : — 



Small intestine from pylorus to caecum 26 m. 70 cm. 



Caecum 70 cm. Large intestine 12 m. 40 cm. 



