29G MORROW — NOTES ON THE CARIBOU. 



inch : it tapers slightly towards its termination. When viewed in 

 position, it bears a striking resemblance to the human uvula. 



" The surface exposed by dissection exhibits a structure con- 

 sisting of rounded or slightly polygonal spaces, resembling very 

 large cells, these are convex of a deep red colour, and united by paler 

 interspaces. The whole organ has the appearance of a body consti- 

 tuted of immense cells united by their thin cell walls. This, how- 

 ever is deceptive ; these spaces are the rounded terminations or bases 

 of the bulbs or follicles from which the hairs inside of the sac grow : 

 the resemblance to cellular interspaces arises from the pressure of a 

 very delicate layer of true skin upon which they rest, and which has 

 been pushed into these interspaces by the growth of the hair follicles. 

 The same structure can be observed in other parts of the skin by 

 dissecting off the true skin which is underneath from the epithelial 

 layer which covers it, and gives origin to the hairs, but here the 

 spaces observed are much smaller, since the hairs and their bulbs 

 are more crowded, the space occupied by each bulb being less than 

 in the cul de sac, or organ under notice. 



" On examining the web of the fore foot, the opening was 

 found similar in character and co-relative position, to that of the 

 hind foot; previous to making these dissections, I was informed 

 that this structure did not exist in the fore feet of the Caribou, 

 nevertheless certain preconceived opinions relative to its structure 

 and function, led me to seek for it here. The organ in the fore 

 feet differs from that in the hind, by being very shallow, measuring 

 not over one-quarter of an inch in depth ; this is due to the draw- 

 ing up and partial obliteration of its anterior wall ; when dissected 

 from the surrounding tissue, it presents all the characteristics of the 

 organ in the hind foot, yet it differs in its position relative to the 

 phalangeal bones, for instead of passing obliquely between them as 

 in the hind foot, it lies in the same plane as that of the anterior 

 wall of the web, its own anterior wall being incorporated with the 

 under surface of the skin, being thereby shortened to about one- 

 quarter of an inch in length ; the posterior wall, however, remains 

 distinct and measures from the blind extremity to its termination in 

 the skin, somewhat over an inch. 



