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Show 980 MESSRS. LISTER AND FLETCHER ON THE [Dec. 13, closed; but we do not know if he had any evidence whether the animal had ever had young. In 1851 Prof. Poelman1, of Gand, published an account of his observations on a female specimen of Halmaturus Bennetti, in which he found "que la meme partie (median vaginal canal) communique librement avec le vestibule genito-urinaire." Prof. Owen was the first who met with this condition in this species. W e subjoin his account of his discovery, which was published in 1852*\:-"In a specimen of Macropus (Halmaturus) bennetti which I dissected in 1845, I detected a natural aperture of communication between the median cul-de-sac and the urogenital canal. I had the pleasure of showing the specimen to Dr. Poelman during a recent visit of that eminent comparative anatomist to the Hunterian Museum, and of thus confirming the observation which he had, independently, made of a similar modification of the female generative organs in a specimen of the M. bennetti dissected by him at the University of Gand." Prof. Owen, in his "Notes on the Anatomy of Dendrolagusinustus," published in 18523, says:-"The lateral bent vaginal canals are shorter in proportion than in M. major; but the median vaginal cul-de-sac was closed, as in that species." This specimen was the first living representative of the species exhibited in Europe. It lived in the Society's Gardens for four years. Of its early history there is no record, as far as we know ; but it was probably captured when young. If this rare animal had bred during its sojourn in the Menagerie, such an interesting event would naturally have been mentioned in Prof. Owen's paper. There is no allusion to any such event; and it would seem very probable that the female in question was a virgin. In a paper published in 1857% Vrolik described the anatomy of a female specimen of Dendrolagus inustus. From this we gather that he found the median canal closed. In 1866 Alix5 met with the open condition in a female of Halmaturus bennetti, and, being unaware of the papers of Owen and Poelman, published his discovery as a new one. To this Profs. Poelman6 and Owen? promptly replied. From the former's reply we subjoin the following extract (p. 399) : - " J'ajouterai que, depuis la publication de ce travail [that is, bis paper already referred to] j'ai eu l'occasion de verifier cette disposition anatomique [that is, the open condition] chez d'autres individus appartenant a la meme espece (II. bennetti), et en ce moment je ne conserve plus aucun doute sur ton existence constante." From Prof. Owen's reply we quote as 1 Bull, de l'Acad. Roy. deBelgique, xviii. 1851, p. 599 a P. Z. S. 1852, p. 106. l 3 Ibid. * W . Vrolik, " Ontleed kundige nasporingen omtrent Dendrolagus inustus," Verhandelingender Komnkhjke Akademie van Wettenschappen, &c. &c Amsterdam, vol. v. of series iv., 1857. ^msier 6 Compt. Rend. Paris, lxii, 1866, pp. 146-148 6 Ibid. pp. 399-400. 7 Ibid. pp. 592-596. |
