210 DR. E. CRISP ON THE ANATOBIY [Juiie 24, 



I repeat this because several physiologists and lecturers on com- 

 parative anatomy still adhere to the old doctrine of the presence of 

 air in the bones of all birds ; and on asking a celebrated physiolo- 

 gist whether he believed that the bones of birds contained air ; his 

 reply was, " Has a bird a brain?" 



Professor Owen, in the Lectures on Birds that he is now deliver- 

 ing at the Government School of Mines, as reported in ' The Medical 

 Times and Gazette,' May 24, 1862, p. 537, says,— " In the swift 

 Humming-birds and in other birds of flight, the air permeates the 

 interior of every bone of the skeleton." 



Brisson and Lesson, as quoted by Sir W. Jardine, state that " the 

 tongue of the Humming-bird is composed of two muscular tubes, 

 joined together for the greater part of their length, towards the tip 

 broadened or swelling, and, according to Lesson, terminated in a 

 spoon-like point on the upper surface. They assist in retaining the 

 different substances, which are immediately conveyed to the opening 

 of the oesophagus by the contractility of the tubes." Sir W. Jardine 

 says " that he has confirmed this statement, as far as the examina- 

 tion of the moistened parts would allow." He adds, " Our own exa- 

 mination of the tongue of the Trochilus tnoschatus, relaxed with 

 warm water, gave the appearance of a fimbriated opening at the tip, 

 having the exterior margin of each fork set with recurved, sharp- 

 pointed, pliable spines, as if to assist its viscidity in securing any 

 substance seized by them." 



It is possible that in the different species of TrochilidcB the 

 tongue, like the beak and tail-feathers, may differ somewhat ; but I 

 believe it will be found that the cylinders are not hollow, and that 

 the recurved spines spoken of by Sir W. Jardine are shreds of the 

 membranous part of the tongue detached by maceration. The some- 

 what feather-like tongue of these birds is probably used chiefly for 

 dipping into the nectar, and for detaching the small insects upon the 

 flowers, the rapid motion of the organ enabling the bird to obtain a 

 large supply of nourishment in a short time. 



The examination of recent specimens will be necessary to decide 

 the question as to the tubular character of the tongue ; but there is 

 one thing tolerably certain, viz. that the food of these birds is chiefly 

 insects, and does not consist of the nectar of flowers only, as was 

 formerly supposed. 



12. On the Capacity of the (Esophagus and other Parts 

 OF THE Intestinal Canal of Python reticulatus. By 

 Edwards Crisp, M.D., F.Z.S., etc. 



The recent death of a specimen of Python reticulatus in the So- 

 ciety's Gardens enables me to speak of some parts of its structure, 

 especially in relation to the question as to the habit of the Viper 

 {Vipei'a berus) of swallowing its young. 



This, as is well known, is denied by many : the late Professor 

 Henslow believed that it was "physically impossible;" and a recent 



