342 ON A QUADRUPED. 



Dr Richard Harlan who examined the internal 

 structure of the Isodon, has furnished the following 

 observations : "On dissection, the most remarkable 

 appearance observed in the interior organization of 

 this animal, was the liver, which seemed to differ 

 widely from that of any other animal, more espe- 

 cially of the order e;lires. 1st. It is divided into four 

 lobes, two right and two left, the former the largest ; 

 the gall bladder occupying the usual situation. 

 Throughout the whole surface this organ presented 

 an innumerable crowd of lobules, generally of an ir- 

 regular quadrangular figure on the surface, formed by 

 grooves or fissures of from three-tenths to seven- 

 twentieths of an inch in depth. 



" This appearance could not have been either the 

 effect of disease or malconformation, as the perito- 

 neal or lining membrane of the liver, dips down into 

 the fissures, similar to the piamater iu the convolu- 

 tions of the brain. 



" On reference toCuvier, we find the greatest num- 

 ber of lobes or lobules in the order glires does not 

 exceed seven, and nothing similar to this anomalous 

 structure, except, indeed, in a portion of the liver of 

 the hornless ruminants ; in which family we find in 

 the middle of the base of the liver, a very distinct 

 lobe resembling the lobulus spigelius of man." " All 

 the inferior surface of this vicera, says Cuvier, (Lee. 

 de Comp. Anat. vol 4, p. 13) is divided by deep 

 grooves, running in various directions, forming a 

 crowd of lobules." 



