Material for the Study of Ruminants. 



53 



the liver at which it forms a loop as short as possible. Then it turns 

 backwards as far as to the level of the hind-end of the right kidney, 

 bends then over to the other side and runs again forward in close 

 connection with the proximal part of the rectum to the level of the 

 anterior end of the left kidney where it enters as jejunum the common 

 mesentery and becomes highly convoluted. The ileum makes, just 

 before entering the caecum, a short loop bending back upon itself. The 

 length of the small intestine is about 334 cm. The length of the caecum 

 is about 5 cm. and its diameter about 12 mm. The colon forms first 

 a rather large ansa proximales which descends toward the middle of 

 the cœcum and then enters into the spiral labyrinth. In this it forms 

 three centripetal and 2 V2 centrifugal coils and then goes directly, not 

 making any loop on itself, out in the mesentery as the peripheric coil 

 in connection with the jejunum. This peripherica! coil is situated at 

 a similar distance as well from the jejunum as from the colic spiral. 

 When the colon leaves the common mesentery is goes backwards and 

 forms the ansa distalis which is rather long and connected as well 

 with the ansa proximales as also with the descending part of the duo- 

 denum. The anterior end of the ansa distalis curves over to the left 

 side and passes at the anterior end of the left kidney into the rectum 

 which is connected with the ascending portion of the duodenum. On 

 a level of the posterior end of the left kidney the rectum forms a 

 short loop / and there becomes widened, whereupon it runs straight to 

 the anus. 



The length of the colon is about 120 cm. The small intestine 

 is thus about 2,5 times longer than the large one. The different parts 

 of the intestine have not of course yet attained their definitive pro- 

 portions. According to Garrod 1 ) the small intestine of the Nilgai is 

 not fully twice as long as the large one. That the large intestine is 

 strongly developed in this animal may already be stated in this foetus 

 because the number of spiral coils is so great, nearly equalling the 

 same in the sheep and exceeding that of Bos, Con noch aies and Antilope. 



The liver of this Nilgai-foetus is not situated transversally 2 ), but 

 its greatest expansion lies in a vertical longitudinal plan, the same which 

 also passes through the right kidney. There can thus be distinguished 



') Proc Zool. Soc. 1877. 



2 ) Neuville (Bull. Mus. hist. nat. T. 3. 1897) found in Arfenota kob and Tragela- 

 phus gratus that the liver did not occupy a transversal but a longitudinal position. Compare 

 also the description of the foetal specimens of Cephalophus above. 



