100 CARNIVORA. 



contraction will be greater. The crystalline lens is equally convex on 

 both sides, and much more so than in the human ; it is nearly spherical, 

 so that the prominences of the humours and of the cornea do not corre- 

 spond. Query : Whether it has a power of altering the convexity of the 

 cornea ? This eye was not stale, so that it could not be flattened ; for it 

 was examined on the day that the animal died. The optic nerve is 

 small in proportion to the eye, and passes in a serpentine course. 



The Ear. — There are no loose external ears, excepting a point or 

 rising of one of the cartilages, which is at the anterior part of the ear, 1 ; 

 besides which it has an orifice just behind the eye, which goes down in 

 a serpentine course by the side of the head for about a couple of inches, 

 being made up of four different cartilages which move one upon another, 

 and serve the same purpose as an external ear, and may be considered 

 as a fixed one. 



The superior maxillary nerve is remarkably large, going to the upper 

 lip. 



Female Parts of Generation. — The external parts are close to the anus, 

 the division terminating in an edge ; so that there is no length of the 

 perineum, and both the vulva and anus are continued some way under 

 the tail, projecting beyond the pubis, as in birds. The common vagina 

 begins by nearly a circular hole, something like the anus ; not nearly so 

 much peaked at the lower part as in a bitch. 



Upon the internal surface of the peaked part is an irregular surface, 

 which is the termination of the clitoris. This part is long, on account 

 of the projection of the vulva beyond the pubis ; it is spongy ; the crura 

 are short. The common vagina is of the same length with the proper, 

 but is considerably wider, and has some longitudinal rugae., especially at 

 the termination, where it seems to be drawn together like a stricture, 

 which makes a kind of hymen. The meatus urinarius terminates in a 

 nipple-like projection. The internal [proper] vagina is thrown into 

 longitudinal rugae, and the internal membrane, which is pretty thick, is 

 so loose as to be easily thrown into either transverse or longitudinal 

 folds. The os tincae is pretty prominent. The uterus has two homs, 

 each of which, after their division [external separation from each 

 other], is nearly of the length of the [apparent] common uterus ; but the 

 openings into these are not what we would call the ' fundus uteri,' but 

 are very near the os tincae ; so that the part of the uterus that is common 

 to both is very short ; and what appears to be the [common] uterus is 

 only the union of the two horns for a little way. The common is 



1 [This shows that the species dissected was a true Phoca, not an Otaria of Cuvier. 

 The structure of the organ of smell is shown in the Hunt. Preps. Nos. 1557 — 1559.] 



