May, 1890.] elliott society. i^ 



Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge : Bulletin, Vol, 

 XIX, No. 2. 



Medical and Surgical Journal, Atlanta, Ga. : Yol. VII, No. 3. ' 



Elislia Mitchell Scientific Society, Chapel Hill, N. C. : Journal, 

 1889, part 2. 



Colyer Meriwether, History of Higher Education in South Car- 

 olina. From Hon. Wade Hampton, M. C. 

 From Hon. M. C. Butler, M. C.\ 



Keport of the Bm-eau of Ethnology, 1882-3. 



Beport of the Commissioner of Labor, 1888. 



Washington Observations, 1884, and 



Consular Beports, pai'ts 1 and 2. 



The following paper was read : 



Notes on the Osteology of Chinchilla lanigera. 



BY G. E. MANIGAULT, M. D. 



I HAVE lately had in my possession a live Ohincliilla whicli was bronglit to 

 this port in an English steamer arriving from Chili. The animal was a male and 

 appeared to be in good health, but among the several articles of food offered 

 it, including nuts, almonds, etc., there was nothing sufficiently tempting to 

 induce it to make a hearty meal. Of bread crumbs it perhaps ate more thar 

 of everything else. It had not been sufficient^ tamed to be handled with im- 

 punity, and when disturbed with pieces of food, which it refused, it was in the 

 habit of making a movement with one of the fore feet which was peculiar and 

 unusvial. It was a lateral, outward jerk of the foot, indicating impatience and 

 desire to get rid of the object which annoyed it, and which was repeated when- 

 ever the attempt was again made to force it to eat. The existence of a clavicle 

 as one of its bones was easily surmised by the possibility of this little move- 

 ment. 



It lost flesh from the day it came into my hands, and died from weakness 

 more than from any other cause, at the end of a fortnight. An autopsy of its 

 more imjjortaut organs revealed no diseased condition, and there was no injury 

 to any part of its skeleton. 



A careful reading of the descriptions of the animal which were at hand 

 seemed to be conclusive as to its being CJiinchilla lanigera, but an inspection 

 of its skeleton would lead to the belief that it may be either a new variety, or 

 that there are certain variations m its osteology which, if not sufficient to class 

 it as such, are nevertheless sufficiently important to be noticed. 



The first of these is the remarkable inclination forward of the neural spines 

 of the lumbar vertebrse. This has not been noticed by Owen in his work on 



