26 



THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



angle, and acting upon the tip of the hyoid bone, which is in this bird 

 situated anteriorly to the eye, on the forehead, near the base of the upper 

 mandible at c, causes the hyoid bone to glide within its sheath until its 

 tip has moved backwards over the forehead, the crown, and occiput, and 

 then advanced forwards until beneath the articulation of the lower jaw, 

 thus traversing a space of three inches and a half, so that the tongue is 

 protruded to three inches and four-twelfths beyond the tip of the bill. 

 When the muscle is relaxed, the parts regain their ordinary position by 

 the aid of the elasticity of the prolongation of the hyoid bones, and the 

 action of another pair of muscles, to be presently described. 



The tongue, d, is covered externally with a dense sheath of fibrous 

 tissue. On its lower surface is seen on each side a very slender muscle, 

 commencing at the extremity of the glosso-hyal bone, and running along 

 the whole length of the basi-hyal bone, as well as of the apo-hyal, to be 

 inserted into the cerato-hyal, at the distance of one inch from its base, 

 on the outer edge. The action of this muscle, which has a strong tendon 

 in its whole length, is to bend the tip of the tongue downwards, or to move 

 the horn of the hyoid bone outwards. It may be called the glosso-hyal. 

 It has another tendon running parallel to that mentioned along its upper 

 edge, of which the action must be to bend the tongue upwards upon the 

 apo-hyal. Besides these muscles, there is another pair, forming the greater 

 part of the fleshy portion of the tongue. They commence at the tip of 

 the basi-hyal bone, or, at d, proceed along the upper surface of the tongue, 

 and, after running a course of two inches and three-fourths, pass along 

 the anterior surface of the thyroid bone, wind along its edge, and are in- 

 serted near the middle surface of the trachea, about its tenth ring. The 

 action of these muscles, alluded to at the end of the last paragraph, and 

 marked nn, is to retract the tongue, when extended, as well as to pull 

 forward the larynx. Another pair of very slender muscles, mm, commence 

 upon the edge of the thyroid bone externally of those last described, se- 

 parate immediately from the trachea, pass directly down the neck in front, 

 under the subcutaneous muscle and skin, to which they are firmly attached 

 by cellular tissue, and are inserted into the furcular bone about the middle 

 of its length. These muscles, the cleido-tracheales, are not peculiar to 

 Woodpeckers, and have nothing particular to do with the movements 

 of the tongue in those birds. 



Parallel to the lower edge of the jaw, and extending from four-twelfths 

 anteriorly to its articulation to the junction of its crura, is, on each side, 

 an elongated salivary gland, ff, attached to the jaw by cellular tissue. It 

 is of a yellowish colour, internally parenchymatous, and sends off a duct, 

 which enters the mouth by the aperture already mentioned, at the com- 

 mencement of the groove, in the horny part of the lower mandible. The 

 fluid which it secretes is a glairy mucus, of a whitish colour, which, being 

 poured forth around the tip of the tongue, covers it with a glutinous sub- 

 stance well adapted for causing the adhesion of any small body to it. 



The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, then, having discovered an insect or 

 larva in a chink of the bark, is enabled, by suddenly protruding its 

 tongue, covered with thick mucus, and having a strong, slender, sharp 

 point furnished with small reversed prickles, to seize it and draw it into 

 the mouth. These prickles are of special use in drawing from its retreat 

 in the wood those large larvse, often two or three inches in length ; but 

 it does not appear probable that the bristly point is ever used to transfix 

 an object, otherwise, how should the object be again set free without 

 tearing off the prickles, which are extremely delicate, and not capable of 

 being bent in every direction ? 



The trachea, kit, is five inches four-twelfths in length, considerably flat- 

 tened, nearly of the uniform breadth of three-twelfths throughout. The 

 aperture of the glottis is four-twelfths long, with a posterior flap of several 

 series of papilla?. The rings of the trachea are very strong, firmly ossified, 

 92 in number. At the upper part three are incomplete, the last entire 

 ring is very broad and bipartite, and there are two additional dimidiate 

 rin"s. The bronchi are short, of twelve half rings. The lateral or con- 

 tractor muscles, 11, commence in front, at the base of the thyroid bone, 

 diverge, presently become lateral, and thus proceed until four and one- 

 half-twelfths from the extremity, when they terminate partly in the sterno- 

 tracheal, but also send down a very thin slip, which is inserted on the 

 first dimidiate ring. 



The explanation of the mechanism by which the tongue is protruded 

 as above given, differs materially from any of those to be found in English 

 works at least, in some of which there is a very unnecessary prolixity as 

 well as ambiguity. It does not appear that hitherto the real sheath in 

 which the horns of the hyoid bone, with its muscle, move, has been ob- 

 served, and the two very slender muscles which run from the sides of the 

 thyroid bone to the furcula, are common to almost all birds, although 

 they have been supposed to be peculiar to Woodpeckers. 



THE SFANISH BLOOD-HOUND. 



In our last Number we gave an interesting and somewhat minute account 

 of the differences which distinguish the African and Spanish Blood- 

 Hound<, supplied by an anonymous correspondent to one of the Dublin 



Medical Journals. That interesting communication was terminated by an 

 anecdote, which the author assures us is both authentic and original, illus- 

 trative of the courage, strength, and sagacity of the latter animal. We 

 enrich our pages with an abridged account of it. " One morning the sub- 

 ject of this anecdote left home, and proceeded alone on a shooting excur- 

 sion. I should scarcely, however, be justified in asserting that he went 

 forth absolutely alone, for two powerful Tiger-hounds followed closely at 

 his heel. His favourite Blood-Hound howled long and plaintively for 

 permission to join the party, but his master was inexorable ; he was tied 

 up and left behind. Indeed, even the two Dogs he took with him were 

 more as companions than from any idea he entertained that their services 

 would be called into requisition. Had he expected danger, it was not on 

 them he would have relied, but on the noble animal whose courage and 

 fidelity he had so often proved, and who was now left at home. 



" The day passed over without any remaikable encounter, and Mr A. 

 was on his return home, his game-bag laden with feathered spoil, and a fine 

 buck suspended from a projecting branch of a marked tree, awaiting the 

 morning's sun till a slave should be sent for it. He had now nearly reached 

 the outskirts of the wood, when he suddenly perceived in the thicket, on 

 one'side of the path through which he must pass, two small faint and twink- 

 ling lights, like that of a pair of Glow-worms ; his practised eye instantly in- 

 formed him that this appearance proceeded from nothing but the malevolent 

 eyes of a wild beast — whether Cougar, Puma, Jaguar, he hesitated not to 

 determine ; one thing was certain, retreat was fatal, and to advance was ap- 

 parently equally so. The sportsman's first action is to throw the barrel 

 of his piece, unfortunately only a smooth bore, across his left arm, the 

 thumb of his right hand cautiously and noiselessly cocks the gun, and the 

 fore-finger of the same hand feels the trigger. Mr A. steadily advanced ; 

 he was not suffered to remain long in suspense ; he had proceeded but 

 three paces when with a terrific cry the Cougar (for such it was) sprung 

 from its lair and dashed upon him. He fired, but apparently without 

 effect; where were now his hounds? They had fled at the first glimpse 

 of the furious beast, and rent the woods with their cowardly wailings ! 

 He struck indeed a few blows with the butt-end of his piece, but the rob- 

 ber of the forest was too nimble for him ; a momentary struggle and he 

 was upon his back. The ferocious Cougar was standing or rather crouch- 

 ing over him j one paw was upon his broad chest, and each protruded 

 talon, penetrating his clothes and flesh, caused a stream of blood to trickle 

 down his side ; the other paw grasped his skull, and he felt as if each claw 

 penetrated to his brain ; his senses reeled, and his blood suffused his eyes 

 and nearly blinded him : still, however, this heroic American fainted not, 

 nor ceased struggling manfully for the victory. His vigorous arms were 

 extended, and his hands grasped the monster's throat, thus keeping him 

 for a time from bringing into play those rapacious jaws, which, as the 

 hunter's strength declined, were gradually advancing into a closer proxi- 

 mity with his face ; such a fearful struggle could not be of long continuance. 

 The burning eyeballs of the Cougar glared nearer, and more near still, as 

 they looked into the bloodshot orbits of the prostrate but still fearless 

 victim ; their owner was forced to turn them aside from the encounter, as 

 if conscious of the dastardly nature of his attack, and the superior bravery 

 though inferior strength of the man upon whom he couched. The 

 powers of the man relaxed ; Nature had done her utmost, she was at 

 length exhausted. The darkness of despair was on the point of plunging 

 his senses in unconsciousness, and death was about to seize upon his vic- 

 tim, when the brushwood behind him crashed and yielded before a heavy 

 w.eight ; the bay of a Blood-Hound awoke him to consciousness and hope, 

 a large animal bounded upon his merciless foe, the shock hurled the de- 

 stroyer from its prey, and the brave hunter felt that he was saved. 



" An American hunter, whether a native of the Northern or Southern 

 division of that vast Continent, rarely, if ever, loses his presence of mind. 

 The prostrate and much-lacerated man tottered to his feet, and recovering 

 his hunting-knife, which he had lost in the struggle, staggered forward, 

 and at imminent further hazard to himself, plunged it repeatedly between 

 the ribs of his late conqueror, who, although he had well-nigh mastered 

 the Dog, (for such was his deliverer,) was still too firmly fixed in the 

 Blood-Hound's gripe to foresee or evade his avenging thrusts. It then 

 fell backwards and released its courageous opponent, who, however, de- 

 spite his wounds, maintained firm hold of his throat until Mr A. had re- 

 loaded his gun, and, applying it to the monster's ear, put it out of pain, 

 and deprived it of the capability of doing further mischief. 



" Need I explain the occasion of this truly providential and almost mira- 

 culous rescue? The favourite Blood- Hound which, on quitting home, he 

 had left behind him, had continued howling all day as if possessing a sort 

 of prophetic prescience of the accident, by which his owner's life would 

 be placed in such extreme danger, and having at length broken loose, had 

 gone forth in quest of his missing master, and found him in time, but only 

 just in time, to save him from one of the most horrible of deaths." 



The Dog and Boa Lieutenant C. had a singular adventure near this 



place. He entered the jungle in search of game, preceded by a favour- 

 ite powerful Dog, that had courage to seize any thing. The Dog ran a 



