188 
On the Condition 
support, or where, from the habits of the animal, the abdo¬ 
minal muscles are required to be particularly powerful. 
The pouch is connected principally by cellular tissue, 
and partly by the subcutaneous muscular fibres which are 
in connexion with it; but there is spread upon the back 
of the pouch a pair of muscles, which, coming from the 
interior of the pelvis, pass beneath the marsupial bones to 
be spread upon the posterior parts of the mammary glands. 
Their office is twofold—to support the mammary gland 
in its proper situation, and thus sustain the principal 
weight of the young animal in the pouch; and, by pressing 
upon the gland, to force the milk into the mouth of 
the young animal, whose muscular power is not suffi¬ 
cient to enable it to suck. 
Mr. Owen, in the Philosophical Transactions (part 2, 
1834, p. 344), thus describes a young kangaroo, seen the 
day after its birth :—“ It resembled an earth-worm in 
the colour and semi-transparency of its integuments, 
adhered firmly to the point of the nipple, breathed 
strongly but slowly, and moved its fore-legs when dis¬ 
turbed : its whole length was 1 inch 2 lines.” In four 
days Mr. Owen detached this animal from the teat, 
when he ascertained that there was not any vascular con¬ 
nexion,—that the young could regain its hold,—and that 
the secretion of the gland was milk. 
I made some observations about the early part of 1840 
with reference to that subject. It appears that when 
very young the animal requires assistance to gain the 
teat; that in a few days it is able to gain it without 
assistance; that there is not any vascular connexion 
between the nipple and the young; and that the 
secretion which nourishes the young animal is milk. 
The mouth of a young marsupial animal is a small 
round hole, the lips not opened more than will allow of 
the reception of the teat ; and they become more sepa- 
