MR.  E.  T.  BENNETT  ON  THE  CHINCHILLID^. 
51 
which  are  deserving  of  particular  notice.  In  it  the  duodenum,  after  descending  to  the 
right  lumbar  region,  made  a  not  very  sudden  turn  upwards,  crossed  the  spine,  and  then 
became  free.  The  ccBCum,  in  form  and  structure  nearly  similar  to  that  of  Lagotis,  had 
its  blind  extremity  concealed  behind  the  first  fold :  it  occupied  the  left  iliac  region.  The 
colon,  arising  from  it  posteriorly,  proceeded  behind  and  connected  with  it  at  the  com- 
mencement to  the  pubic  region,  whence  it  curved  upwards  and  towards  the  left  side, 
passing  partly  in  front  of  the  ccEcum  to  the  umbilical  region,  and  then  by  a  second  and 
very  sudden  fold  upon  itself  again  descended  to  the  hypogastrium.  From  this  point  it 
reascended  along  the  right  side  to  the  hypochondrium,  where  it  was  attached  to  the 
duodenum  by  a  fold  of  peritoneum,  and  again  returning  upon  itself  descended  in  a  long, 
loose,  double  fold,  nine  inches  in  length,  the  two  portions  forming  the  fold  being,  as  in 
Lagotis,  intimately  united  by  peritoneum.  The  formation  of  pellets  began  at  the  com- 
mencement of  this  long  fold,  towards  the  end  of  which  the  intestine  became  more  con- 
tracted, and  so  continued  to  its  termination.  The  total  length  of  the  small  intestines 
in  this  individual  was  about  three  feet  nine  inches,  and  of  the  large,  exclusive  of  the 
ccecum,  four  feet  nine  inches ;  the  length  of  the  animal  from  mouth  to  anus  measuring 
nearly  nine  inches. 
The  form  of  the  stomach  in  the  two  animals  offered  very  remarkable  modifications. 
That  of  Lagotis  represented  a  long  linear-oblong  bag,  three  inches  and  a  half  in  length, 
and  about  an  inch  and  five  eighths  in  breadth,  into  which  the  oesophagus  entered  at  a 
distance  of  an  inch  and  three  quarters  from  the  left  extremity,  and  consequently  very 
near  the  middle  of  the  cavity  :  the  pylorus  was  situated  near  the  right  extremity  su- 
periorly, with  a  distance  of  about  an  inch  between  it  and  the  oesophageal  aperture.  In 
Chinchilla,  on  the  contrary,  the  stomach  was  pyriform,  its  length  being  two  inches  and 
a  half,  its  greatest  breadth  towards  the  left,  an  inch  and  three  quarters,  and  in  the 
middle,  little  more  than  an  inch  :  the  oesophagus  entered  near  the  middle  of  the  cavity  ; 
and  the  pyloric  portion,  which  was  much  narrowed,  formed  a  curve  upwards,  on  which 
the  commencement  of  the  duodenum  made  a  sudden  turn. 
In  both  animals  the  xiphoid  cartilage  of  the  sternum  was  spade-shaped  ;  in  Chinchilla 
very  broadly  so.  The  inferior  vena  cava  passed  in  Lagotis  through  the  substance  of 
the  liver,  which  was  composed  of  a  left  lobe,  a  large  cystic  lobe,  a  right  lobe  partially 
divided,  and  a  lohulus  Spigelii,  the  suspensory  ligament  not  advancing  to  the  anterior 
margin  of  the  cystic  lobe.  In  Chinchilla  the  cystic  lobe  was  deeply  cleft,  its  sinus  cor- 
responding with  the  anterior  edge  of  the  suspensory  ligament  ;  and  the  lohulus  Spigelii 
also  presented  a  deep  fissure.  The  gall-bladder  in  Lagotis  measured  three-fourths  of 
an  inch  in  length  ;  in  Chinchilla  about  two-thirds  :  it  was  of  a  pyriform  shape,  and  only 
partially  invested  by  peritoneum-  In  its  course  the  cystic  dact  was  joined  by  three  or 
more  hepatic  ducts  ;  it  entered  the  duodenum  about  one  third  of  an  inch  from  the  py- 
lorus. The  spleen  was  somewhat  unciform  in  shape,  broadest  below,  three-sided,  and 
transversely  notched  at  about  half  an  inch  from  its  upper  extremity  ;  it  measured,  in 
H  2 
