Natural History. — Zoology. 211 
28. Natural History of Sumatra and -There has lately 
arrived in London from Bencoolen, a large collection of the na- 
tural history of Sumatra, formed under the superintendance of 
that distinguished and enterprising officer Lieutenant-General 
Sir Stamford Raffles, and intended for the valuable Museum of 
the India Company. Last spring we had an opportunity of 
seeing the beautiful and interesting collection of the animals and 
minerals of Java, brought to England and deposited in the 
Company’s museum by Dr Horsfield, who has much distin- 
guished himself by his numerous and interesting researches in 
regard to the natural history of the islands of the Indian 
Ocean. 
29 . Affinity of the Genera Echidna^ (^c. with Amphibia. — It 
would appear from the anatomical investigations of Meckel, that 
the genera Myrmecophaga, Echidna, Ornithorynchus, and 
Brady pus, are very nearly allied to the genera of the class Am- 
phibia. 
80. Respiration of the Alimentary Canal. — Dr Pragge, in a 
late Number of Meckel’s Archiv fiir die Physiologic,” has en- 
deavoured to shew, that the Motus peristalticus is nothing else 
than the respiratory motion of the alimentary canal. 
81. Serpents with Two Heads. — Aristotle, ^lian, Aldrovan- 
dus, Licetus, Lanzoni, and many others, mention instances of 
serpents with double heads, so that it may be considered as a 
kind of structure not very uncommon in this tribe of animals. 
Redi, the celebrated anatomist, kept a two-headed snake for a 
considerable time, and afterwards dissected it. He found that it 
had two hearts, two tracheas, and two lungs : the two stomachs 
united into a common alimentary canal ; and the liver and gall- 
bladder were double. He further remarks, that the one head 
died seven hours later than the other. Very lately Dr Corradori 
at Ruto in Tuscany, informs us, that he saw a snake with two 
heads ; and adds, it sometimes happened that the heads differed 
as to the use of their faculties ; thus the one head would eat while 
the other was asleep. 
