124 



MAMMALIA. 



[Chap. III. 



A writer in the Quarterly Review for December 1850, 

 says that " Camper and other comparative anatomists 

 have shown that the left, or cardiac end of the stomach 

 in the elephant is adapted, by several wide folds of lining 

 membrane, to serve as a receiver for water ; " but this is 

 scarcely correct, for although Camper has accurately 

 figured the external form of the stomach, he disposes 

 of the question of the interior functions with the simple 

 remark that its folds u semblent en faire une espece de 

 division particuliere." 1 In like manner Sir Everard 

 Home, in his Lectures on Comparative Anatomy, has 

 not only carefully described the form of the elephant's 

 stomach, and furnished a drawing of it even more 

 accurate than Camper ; but he has equally omitted to 

 assign any purpose to so strange a formation, contenting 

 himself with observing that the structure is a peculiarity, 

 and that one of the remarkable folds nearest the orifice 

 of the diaphragm appears to act as a valve, so that the 

 portion beyond may be considered as an appendage 

 similar to that of the hog and the peccary. 2 



par de plus grands qui correspon- 

 doient a des grains glanduleux." — 

 Buffon, Hist Nat, vol. xi. p. 109. 



1 "L'extremite voisine du cardia 

 se termine par une poche tres-con- 

 siderable et doublee a l'interieure 

 du quatorze valvules orbiculaires 

 que semblent en faire une espece 

 de division particuliere." — Camper, 

 Description Anatomique d'un Ele- 

 phant Male, p. 37, tabl. ix. 



2 " The elephant has another 

 peculiarity in the internal structure 

 of the stomach. It is longer and 

 narrower than that of most animals. 

 The cuticular membrane of the 

 oesophagus terminates at the orifice 

 of the stomach. At the cardiac end, 

 which is very narrow and pointed 



at the extremity, the lining is thick 

 and glandular, and is thrown into 

 transverse folds, of which five are 

 broad and nine narrow. That 

 nearest the orifice of the oesophagus 

 is the broadest, and appears to act 

 occasionally as a valve, so that the 

 part beyond may be considered as 

 an appendage similar to that of 

 the peccary and the hog. The 

 membrane of the cardiac portion is 

 uniformly smooth; that of the 

 pyloric is thicker and more vascu- 

 lar." — Lectures on Comparative 

 Anatomy, by Sir Everard Home, 

 Bart. 4 to. Lond. vol. i. p. 155. 

 The figure of the elephant's stomach 

 is given in his Lectures, vol. ii. 

 plate xviii. 



