1888 - 89 .] Woodhead and Gray on Stomach of Narwhal. 793 
detail the several cavities or compartments into which the stomach 
is subdivided, giving in each instance both the naked-eye appear- 
ance, and, as far as possible, the microscopic structure, and, in 
some cases, offering a few observations on the more interesting 
features. 
The (Esophagus. 
The oesophagus terminates by expanding into a wide dilatation 
constituting a cavity of considerable size, which may be called 
,* the oesophageal paunch.” The orifice of communication is wide 
and patent, having a diameter of 3 inches. The mucous mem- 
brane presents an opaque, whitish appearance, and is thrown into 
well-marked longitudinal folds, besides being slightly corrugated 
transversely. Numerous minute follicular-looking depressions are 
evident, scattered over the surface, which, however, must not be 
looked upon as the openings of glands. 
Structure of Coats. — 1. The outer or fibrous coat is a layer of 
tough areolar tissue, containing a few bundles of yellow elastic 
fibres. 
2. The muscular coat consists of an outer thin layer of non- 
striped muscular fibres running longitudinally, and a thick, well- 
developed layer fully ^th inch in thickness, in which the fibres arQ 
disposed circularly. 
3. The submucous or areolar coat is of very considerable thick- 
ness, and is formed of somewhat dense connective tissue, in which 
numerous well-formed vessels are seen. Non-striped muscle fibres 
are present under the mucous membrane, running for the most 
part longitudinally, forming a layer of considerable thickness. More 
externally the connective tissue is looser ; here and there are a few 
bundles of muscle fibres running circularly, also large blood-vessels, 
both arteries and veins, the venous channels being especially large 
and numerous. 
4. The mucous membrane is remarkable for its thickness, and 
for the dense and horny nature of the epithelium. Superficially 
the cells are arranged in regular lamellse, closely resembling the cells 
of the stratum corneum of the human skin, their nuclei, however, 
never actually disappear as in the stratum lucidum, and there is no 
space round those nuclei near the free surface. In some cases 
