THE ANATOMY OF THE INDIAN ELEPHANT. 79 



in front of the bony nares by a simple hinge- joint, without 

 synovial capsule. In our young example each alinasal cartilage 

 measures four inches in length and less than one inch in width ; 

 it has a slight curvature forwards and outwards. Its external 

 margin is connected with the bony nares beneath levator pro- 

 hoscidis by a thin, tough, and extensive sheet of fibrous mem- 

 brane, which can be traced downwards into the lining of the 

 air-tubes of the proboscis. The membrane is capable of disten- 

 sion, and forms a kind of pouch, which greatly enlarges the 

 capacity of the nares at this point. Transverse muscular fibres, 

 continuing the series of the radiating fibres of the proboscis, 

 connect the sides and under surface of this pouch with the 

 margin of the bony nares. Another set of transverse fibres 

 (dilator naris), extending across the alinasal cartilage and tak- 

 ing origin from it, passes to the adjacent border of the pouch, 

 leaving a clear space about an inch in width between them and 

 the lower transverse fibres. This upper set (dilator naris) 

 would, when in action, tend to raise the free or external edge of 

 alinasal cartilage, and thus increase the capacity of the pouch, 

 while the lower transverse fibres would assist them to enlarge 

 the pouch by drawing its sides outwards. The alinasal pouch 

 is the only considerable chamber in the nose or trunk of the 

 elephant ; it may serve an important purpose in the storage of 

 liq[uid. Behind the anterior bony nares we find a second lateral 

 (aliseptal) cartilage. It is not perfectly continuous either with 

 the nasal septum or the alinasal cartilage. It is connected with 

 the former by a fibrous hinge-joint ; with the latter by a strong 

 elastic sheet, in which are a number of muscular fibres, which 

 take origin from the upper border of the bony nares, and con- 

 verge towards the fore end of the aliseptal cartilage. The posi- 

 tion and form of this cartilage are those of a turbinated bone, 

 but it is wholly unossified ; its size is small in comparison with 

 the relative development of the turbinated bones in most mam- 

 mals. Its chief extension is in the direction of the nasal passage, 

 and this dimension is about four inches in our specimen ; the 

 greatest vertical depth is two inches. The anterior half of the 

 cartilage falls away outwards from the plane of the posterior 

 half, so as to give rise to a decided step in the middle of the 

 length. The general direction of the cartilage is vertical, but 



