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ART. XXI. — Observations on the Reproductive Organs, and on the Foetus of the 

 Delphinus Nesarnak. By Charles D. Meigs, M. D. 



I am under obligations to Dr. W. S. W. Ruschenberger, U. S. Navy, for the objects 

 that are described in this note. 



On the late voyage of the U. S. ship Plymouth to China, while at no great 

 distance from Rio Janeiro, a porpoise was captured by the seamen, in April 1848. 

 Upon opening the animal she was found to be pregnant. The uterus and vagina, 

 with a foetus thirteen inches in length, were preserved in alcohol, and upon Dr. R.'s 

 late return to the United States, from Canton, they were presented to me. 



Professor Agassiz, at that time in the city, was invited to examine the specimens 

 with me, and the observations then made were so remarkable, that that gentleman 

 considers them well deserving of being laid before the Academy. 



I now submit for the inspection of the members, both the original specimens an 1 

 several drawings of them. 



The womb is two-horned, and still contains the whole of the chorion. It is a very 

 strong muscular uterus, divided by a thick partition. The cervix uteri appears to me 

 to be not much deployed, and is still a thick and very strong cylinder, terminating by 

 a well formed vaginal cervix, and os tincse, that projects about three-fourths of an 

 inch into the uterine extremity of the vagina. The mucous membrane of the vaginal 

 cervix is formed into regular rugse or plicae, that passing inwards to the os uteri go 

 upwards into the canal of the cervix. The os uteri is a transverse sulcus as in the 

 human uterus. Vide PL XXXVI. fig. 2, and PL XXXV. fig. 1. 



The vagina is about two inches and a quarter in length — in its present state. It 

 is condensed and contracted by the alcohol, in which the specimen has been 

 preserved for nearly a year, The specimen and the drawing show the arrangement 

 of the rugse of the vagina. PL XXXV. fig. 1, e. 



Upon opening the vaginal cervix by an incision carried from the os upwards, we 

 were surprised by finding a second os tincse and cervix, similar to the former one. 



The drawing shows, better than any description, the arrangement of this singular 



apparatus, and I submit to the members, this original specimen, in which the second 



or upper cervix and os are seen to be enclosed in the canal of the cervix, as the lower 



one is encased in the canal of the vagina. It will be seen upon comparing them, 



that the drawing gives a faithful representation of the facts. PL XXXVI. fig. 2, a, 



b, d. 



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