TALPA EUROPiEA. 187 



The kidneys are conglomerated, with some vessels on the external 

 surface. The testicles He on the ossa pubis. There is no protuberance 

 on the external part or beginning of the vagina. The uterus has two 

 horns. The ovaria are inclosed [each] in a capsule. 



"When kept in a cage, they eat flies and meat. One which I kept 

 ate flies in preference. 



In a bat which we knocked down, I found in the stomach the wings 

 and legs of gnats. There appeared on the rectum a small process like 

 a caecum ; the faeces were soft. There was no urine in the bladder : 

 it probably makes water before it begins to fly. Probably [the circum- 

 stance of ] birds having no urinary bladder is to avoid weight. 



On the 13th of November, 1789, a pretty mild evening, I saw a 

 bat flying in the yard of the White Hart Inn, at Colnbrook. 



The Mole [Talpa europad]. 



The chief strength of this animal seems to be in its fore part, viz. 

 the neck and fore legs, which are stronger than in any other animal of 

 its size. 



The larynx has something very uncommon, viz. the epiglottis and 

 arytenoid cartilages are continued all round, nearly of an equal height, 

 so that the epiglottis cannot cover them, but is pushed back ; and its 

 edge meets the edges of the arytenoid cartilages pretty equally, and 

 there the posterior edge (which is the arytenoid) is bent back on itself, 

 and of course is covered by the anterior edge, [which is] the epiglottis. 



The chest is very long, so that the lungs are large, but not so much 

 as one would at first imagine ; for the shoulders are a good deal farther 

 forwards than the most anterior part of the chest. If the lungs are 

 larger than in other animals of the same size, it may be owing to the 

 mole's often being in a situation where respiration must be obstructed. 



The external ears are very small ; this is because it can only hear 

 sounds from near causes. 



The oesophagus is long below the diaphragm, and enters about the 

 middle of the stomach. The stomach is very large, filling nearly the 

 half of the abdomen ; it was filled with worms and grubs of various 

 sorts. The pylorus is only a little stricture. The duodenum is as in 

 the dog, &c. The other intestines are as in the ferret, &c. ; but a great 

 deal longer in proportion to the animal, being about seven times the 

 length of the animal. There are no bags at the anus 1 . The faeces 

 are soft. There are no ossa pubis. The anus passes half an inch 

 beyond the crura. The penis is under the tail and is bent downwards. 



1 [Home, Comp. Anat. i. p. 431.] 



