1;92 



HITCH COCK'S ANATOMY 



coil it upon insects or any other object. This property, to- 

 gether with the adhesive mucus found' upon it, makes it for 

 these animals a very serviceable apparatus in obtaining 

 food. 



349. Esophageal Teeth. — In many animals of this de- 

 scription the Esophagus is lined with bony processes pointing 

 downwards, called Esophageal teeth, which greatly aid' in 

 swallowing the large masses which they are accustomed to 

 force into their stomachs. 



350. Stomach.— Length of Intestine. — The Stomach 

 seems to be only a dilatation of the Intestine. In many 

 species it is divided into two cavities resembling those of a 

 bird, (Fig. 196) : the first a Gizzard, or an organ made up 

 of stout muscular fibers, and the second a thin walled and 

 secreting cavity. In Crocodiles it is round, and the muscular 

 coat is very thick, in order to reduce to a digestible size 

 the coarse food which it so greedily devours. The length 

 of the intestine in most reptiles is about twice the length 

 of the body ; in Lizards, however, it is only about the 

 same length as the body. A cloaca or additional rectum 

 is sometimes found in these animals, as is the case among 

 birds. 



351. Stomach and Intestine of Fishes — In many Fishes 

 the intestinal tube extends from the mouth directly through 

 the animal without any enlargement for the stomach, or any 

 convolutions, as is the case with all the animals thus far con- 

 sidered on this subject, and with which no organ of secretion 

 is connected, except the liver. The intestinal canal, however, 

 is generally more or less convoluted, and ordinarily it is short. 

 In the Shark the stomach is parceled out by constrictions and 



With what is it covered, that renders it more serviceable as an instrument of capture ? 

 349. What is said of Esophageal teeth? 350. Is the stomach a simple or complex cav- 

 ity ? What is the average length of intestine among reptiles ? What is said of a cloaca? 

 831. In what condition is the stomach found in most fishes? What peculiarity is met 

 within the Shark ? 



