OF THE TONGUES OP^ THE MAMMALIA. 



129 



Riiminaiitia. In the Red-fronted Lemur it takes the form of a 

 number of long apical conical papillae, but in Galeopithecus it 

 appears as a number of apical lobules. In the Slow Loris it is 

 on the apex of the sublingua. 



Apparatus for Purposes of SuGlion. 



In some of the Bats, the apical conical papillae can be arranged 

 in the form of a suctorial ring by means of muscular contraction. 



Pigmentation of the Tongue. 



The fresh tongue has a pink colour with fine dark red dots in 

 most animals, but some animals have peculiar pigmentation, which 

 may even be so characteristic that the species to which they 

 belong can be told at once. The Moloch Teetee has a black 

 tongue ; the Grizzled Spider Monkey has a brown tongue with a 

 white cross on the dorsum ; the Common Badger has a brown 

 vallate papillary area ; and the Giraffe and Aurochs have 

 tongues of a leaden hue. 



The disposition of the pigment varies in different members of 

 the same species, but the differences are not of great value for 

 comparative work ; in the Moloch Teetee, for example, I have 

 seen one specimen with a completely black tongue, but another 

 had a wedge-shaped area devoid of pigment at the base. 



The Litta. 



On the under surface of the tongue, and sometimes within its 

 substance, there is a remnant of the glosso-hyal cartilage, 

 known as the litta, which varies in situation and character. 



It lies below the tip of the organ in the Dasyare, but it is 

 absent in the Phalangers, in which it is replaced by a thickening 

 of the frenum. It is also apical in the Rhinoceros. 



In the Carnivora, it is developed, especially in the Dog, in 

 which it is termed the uwnn. It is elastic and assists in lapping. 



In the Kinkajou, it is large, ligamentous, and ensheatlied, and 

 in the Aye-Aye it takes the form of a nodulated and hooked 

 crest on the ventral aspect of the sublingua. 



Piioc. ZooL. Soc— 1920, Ko. IX. 



9 



