the anatomy of the indian elephant. 57 



Stomach. 



An excellent figure of this viscus is given by Camper (pi. ix. 

 fig. 1). Mayer's drawing is less satisfactory. 



The stomach is smooth externally, elongate, and nearly 

 straight. The cardiac end is much prolonged and tapering. 

 A number of transverse nearly circular folds project inwards 

 from the cardiac wall ; they almost disappear when the stomach 

 is greatly distended, and are at all times too shallow to serve as 

 water-cells, though they have been figured and described as 

 such.^ The gastric follicles are most abundant towards the 

 cardiac end, as Mayer has observed. In an adult elephant the 

 stomach is little less than three feet long ; the cesophagus enters 

 near the middle but rather nearer the cardiac than the pyloric 

 end. The pyloric valve is well developed. 



Intestines. 



" The duodenum is at first loosely suspended and convolute, 

 as in some rodents ; it is more closely attached at its termina- 

 tion. The mucous coat of the jejunum is thrown into small 

 irregular folds, both transverse and longitudinal. There are 

 oblong patches of agminate follicles. The termination of the 

 ileum projects as a conical valve " [a very truncate cone] " into 

 the csecum. The longitudinal layer of muscular fibres is con- 

 tinued directly from the ileum upon the csecum ; but the circular 

 layer accompanies the valvular production of the mucous mem- 

 brane, and is there thicker than on the free gut. The lare-(3 

 csecum is sacculated on three longitudinal bands, which are 

 continued some way along the colon. "^ 



We find a number of aggregated glands, not unlike Peyer's 

 patches, in the rectum. The occurrence so low down of what 

 are probably absorbents may be partly explained by the slow 

 alteration of food passed along the alimentary canal of the 

 elephant. Even in the large intestine the original form of 

 many pieces of vegetable food is retained, and grains of maize 

 were recognisable in the colon of our example, as were hay and 

 potatoes in the colon of that dissected by Camper.^ 



^ Emerson Tennent, Natural History of Ceylon, p. 125 ; see also Perrault, 

 as quoted by Buff on, Hist. Nat. vol. xi. p. 109. 



■^ Owen, Conip. Anat. of Vertebrates, vol. iii. p. 457. 



* Further observations are necessary before we can be satisfied that these 

 appearances are not due to disease. 



