224 PROFESSOR TURNER'S ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT FINNER WHALE 



widened in its backward passage, for whilst only the tips of the four fingers could 

 be introduced into its buccal orifice, the fist could be readily passed through it 

 from the pharyngeal end. The mucous membrane surrounding the buccal orifice 

 and lining the bucco-pharyngeal canal, was spotted with pigment, and with pits, 

 such as have been described in the same region in the older animal. The mucous 

 membrane was also thrown into faint transverse folds, which corresponded in 

 their direction with the fibres of the well defined palato-glossus muscle. The 

 part of the pharynx situated immediately above the velum was greatly dilated, 

 and measured 24 inches in circumference. It constituted the nasal subdivision 

 of the pharyngeal chamber. The antero-posterior diameter of the pharynx from 

 the posterior border of the soft palate to the commencement of the oesophagus 

 was 9 inches. In its general form it was funnel shaped ; for whilst the transverse 

 diameter just behind the attachment of the velum was 7^ inches, it rapidly nar- 

 rowed behind, where it joined the oesophagus to a tube, If inch in diameter. 



"When the interior of the pharynx was more completely exposed by a mesial 

 longitudinal incision, not only could the posterior buccal orifice be more clearly 

 seen, but the relations of the superior laryngeal opening were exposed (Plate VIII. 

 fig. 31). In front of this opening was the elongated, tongue-like flexible epiglottis, 

 which projected forward and upward. It was invested by mucous membrane, 

 and from its anterior surface a well-defined hyo-epiglottidean fold of mucous 

 membrane passed forwards to the body of the hyoid. Projecting from the 

 middle of its posterior surface was a vertical rounded elevation, which obviously 

 corresponded to the " cushion" described by Czermak on the back of the human 

 epiglottis, and which, doubtless, like that cushion, plays an important part in 

 the closure of the laryngeal orifice during deglutition. From each side of the 

 epiglottis a strong aryteno-epiglottidean fold of mucous membrane passed back- 

 wards to the lappet-like processes of mucous membrane which invested the 

 horns of the arytenoid cartilages, which formed the posterior boundary of the 

 orifice. These lappets were separated by a median cleft. No hood-like fold 

 of mucous membrane, such as Drs Carte and Macalister have described in 

 B. rostrata, as affording protection to the orifice of the larynx during degluti- 

 tion, existed in this animal. The superior orifice of the larynx was large 

 enough in the foetus to admit both fists at the same time. 



The muscular wall of the pharynx was formed of the constrictors, the fibres 

 of which passed from below upwards, to be attached to the superior mesial 

 raphe of the pharynx. The fibres of at least two pairs of constrictor muscles, 

 arising from the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage, were distinctly recognised. 

 The muscular coat of the oesophagus was comparatively thin, and presented the 

 longitudinal and circular arrangement. 



Numerous glands existed in the submucous coat of the pharynx. The posi- 

 tion of many of these was marked, more especially on its lateral and anterior 



