MR.  R.  OWEN  ON  THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  CHEETAH. 
131 
agrees  in  all  these  particulars  with  the  rest  of  the  genus  ;  but  as  far  as  I  could  judge  of 
the  form  of  the  stomach,  which  had  been  laid  open,  it  was  narrower,  longer,  and  less 
bent  upon  itself  than  in  the  Lion.  The  duodenum  has  an  entire  investment  of  peritoneum 
throughout  its  whole  course,  and  makes  a  gentle  sweep  or  curve  before  passing  behind 
the  root  of  the  mesentery.  The  cacum  and  large  intestines  have  also  a  looser  con- 
nexion to  the  abdominal  parietes  than  in  man,  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  assign  a  precise 
situation  to  the  ccecum.  The  whole  intestinal  canal  varies  in  its  proportion  to  the  length 
of  the  body  from  twice  to  four  times,  being,  so  far  as  I  know,  longest  in  the  Lion,  and 
shortest  in  the  Lynx:  in  the  Cheetah  it  measures  10  feet  3  inches,  the  length  of  the 
small  intestines  being  8  feet,  of  the  large  2  feet  3  inches,  and  that  of  the  cacum  14-  inch. 
The  large  intestines  in  all  the  Feles  are  about  two  thirds  of  the  length  of  the  body,  ex- 
clusive of  the  tail.  In  the  Genets,  the  Civets,  and  the  Suricate,  they  are  much  shorter. 
In  the  Dog  the  cacum  is  convoluted,  and  the  large  intestine  equals  or  exceeds  the  length 
of  the  bod)'' :  but  in  the  Cheetah  the  uecum  is  simple  and  the  colon  short,  as  in  the  rest 
of  the  genus  Felis^.  Two  round  follicles  open  within  the  verge  of  the  anus  ;  the  diameter 
of  each  is  about  an  inch.  The  anus  is  retracted  and  protruded  by  two  muscles,  one 
arising  from  the  middle  of  the  os  sacrum,  and  inserted  into  the  sides  of  the  anus ;  the 
other  coming  from  the  third  and  fourth  caudal  vertebra;,  and  passing  forwards  to  ex- 
pand on  the  posterior  surface  of  the  rectum.  This  structure  I  believe  to  be  common  to 
the  Cat  tribe,  but  do  not  know  how  far  it  is  peculiar  to  them. 
The  liver  in  all  the  Cat  tribe  is  composed  of  four  principal  divisions  :  a  left  lobe,  which 
is  entire  ;  a  middle  or  cystic  division,  which  is  deeply  cleft  in  two  places,  the  left  fissure 
containing  the  coronary  ligament,  the  right  the  gall-bladder ;  a  third  or  right  division, 
which  is  also  partially  cleft ;  and  in  addition  to  these,  a  small  lohulus  Spigelii,  fitting 
into  the  lesser  curvature  of  the  stomach,  and  making  in  all  seven  lobes :  occasionally, 
however,  the  middle  and  right  divisions  are  further  subdivided.  The  gall-bladder  is 
elongated,  and  more  or  less  bent  or  tortuous,  especially  at  the  neck.  Occasionally  in 
the  Cat  its  fundus  is  buried  in  the  substance  of  the  cystic  lobe,  and  appears  through  a 
cleft  on  the  convex  surface :  Mr.  Martin  found  this  structure  in  the  Jaguar  also.  I 
am  informed  by  my  friend  Mr.  Kiernan,  w^ho  has  so  successfully  investigated  the  inti- 
mate structure  of  this  important  gland,  that  the  constituent  lobules  of  the  liver  are 
more  angular  and  distinct  from  each  other  in  those  of  the  genus  he  has  examined  than 
in  the  Hare  or  Rabbit  among  the  Rodentia  :  they  are  remarkably  distinct  in  the  Cheetah, 
and  for  the  most  part  six-sided.  The  gall-bladder  in  this  species  has  a  complete  in- 
vestment of  peritoneum,  is  disposed  in  three  flexures,  and  the  cystic  duct  is  tortuous 
'  I  may  here  observe  that  in  the  Cheetah  which  I  dissected  the  small  intestines  were  much  contracted,  con- 
taining only  a  grey  inodorous  mucus,  apparently  in  consequence  of  an  ulcerous  opening  in  the  duodenum,  which 
prevented  the  passage  of  chyme  into  them.  The  force  of  the  contraction  of  the  muscular  fibres  was  such,  that 
they  were  drawn  into  a  wavy  form,  and  the  longitudinal  fibres  were  observed  to  form  a  strong  band  along  the 
attachment  of  the  mesentery. 
VOL.  I.  T 
