greatly distended,
and are at all times too shallow to serve as water-cells, though they
have been figured and described as such."

That the stomach is the reservoir is, I think, open to doubt; but
there is no other possible receptacle as yet discovered, though I
shall allude to a supposed one presently, which would hold a moderate
supply of water, and further research in this direction is desirable.
Most of the dissections hitherto made have been of young and immature
specimens. Dr. Watson's investigations have thrown some light on the
way in which the water is withdrawn, which differs from Dr.
Harrison's conclusions, which are quoted by Sir Emerson Tennent. Dr.
Watson says regarding this power of withdrawal: "It is evident that
were the throat of this animal similar to that of other mammals, this
could not be accomplished, as the insertion of a body, such as the
trunk, so far into the pharynx as to enable the constrictor muscles
of that organ to grasp it, would at once give rise to a paroxysm of
coughing; or, were the trunk merely inserted into the mouth, it would
be requisite that this cavity be kept constantly filled with water,
at the same time that the lips closely encircled the inserted trunk.
The formation of the mouth of the elephant, however, is such as to
prevent the trunk ever being grasped by the lips so as effectually
to stop the entrance of air into the cavity, and thus at once, if
I may so express it, the pump action of the trunk is completely
paralysed. We find, therefore, that it is to some modification of
the throat that we must look for an explanation of the function in
question." He then goes on to explain minutely the anatomical details
of the apparatus of the throat, which I will endeavour to sketch as
simply, though clearly, as I can. The superior aperture of the
pharynx is extremely narrow, so much so as to admit, with difficulty,
the passage of a closed fist; but immediately behind this the pharynx
dilates into a large pouch capable of containing a certain quantity
of fluid--according to Dr. Watson a considerable quantity; but this
is open to question. Professor Miall states that in the young
specimen examined by him and Mr. Greenwood, a pint was the capacity
of the pouch. However, according to Dr. Watson, it is capable of
distention to a certain extent. The pouch is prolonged forward
beneath the root of the tongue, which forms the anterior boundary,
whilst the posterior wall is completed by d