Memoir's for a natural history of animals containing the anatomical descriptions of several creatures dissected by the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris / Englished by Alexander Pitfeild ... ; to which is added an account of the measure of a degree of a great circle of the earth, published by the same Academy and Englished by Richard Waller ...

THE ANATOMICAL DESCRIPTION OF ANOTHER LYON.

THis Lyon was extraordinary large, though very young. It was seven Foot and a half long, from the end of the Nose to the beginning of the Tail, and four Foot and a half high, from the top of the Back to the ground.

Our Observations were almost the same, with those which we have alrea∣dy made on the first Lyon, but amongst other things, the straitness and nar∣rowness of the Thorax, which we have already remarkt, seem'd to us very considerable in this Subject: For in the inside, from the one side to the other in the largest place, it exceeded not seven Inches, of which the Heart took up four, so that there remained but three for the Lungs, Pericardium, Medi∣astinum, and Vessels of the Heart. The Pericardium was likewise without Water, and the Intestines short in Proportion to the Body, containing but Twenty five Foot in length, which was just three times the length of the Body. The Crystallinus was more convex on the outside than the in∣side.

What we found different is, that the Liver which was of so dark a Red in the first Lyon that it appeared Black, was so pale in this that it had a Fevil∣le-morte Colour.

That the Annular Cartilages of the Larynx, which were intire in the first Lyon which nevertheless was not Old, were found imperfect in this which was Younger. And we were not able to resolve whether we ought to atribute to the difference of Age, that which we observed in the Paws, because that in those of the Young Lyon we found the Skin much less hard, and firm then the other, so that at the extremity of every Toe of the Young one, it was so loose and flaggie, that it might be made to extend and descend to cover half the Nail: Which seems to be the case of which Pliny speaks. But the Truth is that there is no probability that this can preserve its Nails, as this Author Reports, because that they use them only at the Point, which this Skin cover's not.

We likewise observed somthing new, viz. That the Epiploon which was as great and large as its internal Membrane, and which immediatly touched the Intestines, did invelope them, and came round even to the Kidnyes, having only the upper Membrane loose, as the Name of these Membranes

signifies. We farther remarked that their Substance was not properly a continued Membrane, but pierced by the light, and like a Texture of very fine Fibres makeing a Gauze.

That the Kidney, which was four inches long and two and a half broad was sprinkled on its External Superficies, with a great many Vessells covered with the Proper Membrane of the Kidney.

That the Lungs were spoilt, dry, pale, and full of Knobs. That in the Eye, the Iris was Visiblly plaited with some circular wrinkles, which were the effect of the dilatation in the Pupilla, happened by the constriction of the Membrane which made the Iris. This folding is a thing which is com∣monly supposed, but which is not perceived without difficulty: And it was so much the more strange in this Subject, that the Aqueous Humour being very abundant, this Membrane was not Subject to contract by dryness. The Vitreous Humour was almost as fluid as the Aqueous. The Tapetum of the Vuea was Gilded through the middle as in the other Lyon, but it had a Ver∣dure at the Extremities, which we found not in the other, although we thought it was to be there, by Reason that the Ancients did call the Eyes of Lyons 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that is to say, full of Ornaments, because that they found that green Eyes were most Beautiful.

The Retina was White and Opake enough, to make one think that it would hinder the reception of the Species, if it is True that they do pass farther.

The place where the Sight is commonly made, was crossed by a Vessel filled with Bloud, which passed also into the Optick Nerves, where it made a •…•…avitie, and seem'd to form that Pore or Ductus, with which some Authors do think, that the Optick Nerves were pierced, to give passage to the Spirits which are received into the Brain.

The Observation of the Vessels which are Visible and in great abun∣dance on the Superficies of the Parenchyma of the Kidney, which is a thing extraordinary, affords us Matter for Two Reflexions; the first of which is, That these Vessels, which are Branches of the Truncks of the Arteriae and Venae Emulgentes, do easily discover to the Eye, a Truth which we have already found in some humane Subjects, by the injection of Milk into the Vasa Emulgentia, after the having taken from the Kidney its proper Membrane. This Truth is that the Branches of the Emulgents do not terminate in the Middle of the Kidneys, as Higmorus, following Vasalius, has thought; But that they are carryed to the external Superficies: For the separation of the Urine which must be done by Filtration, requires that the Blood be carryed thro' the Arteries as far as is possible, to the end that it there find a greater Thickness of the Parenchyma of the Kidneys to penetrate, and consequently more capable of making a more perfect Filtration.

The other reflection is, that those Vessels, which are not generally visible in the Kidney, whose Substance appears Solid and Homogeneous, towards its external Superficies, which was smooth and even, were found very apparent in this Subject. And we thought it probable that this hap∣pened by some distemper, and was Praeternatural in this Animal: Either by an Inslammation, or Obstruction, which had caused these Vessels insensibly to dilate; This being easie in a young Animal, where the parts not yet hardened, are more easie to dilate, and the Humours being more agitated

are more capable of effecting this dilatation. Glisson who has observed that oftentimes the Branches of some Vessels are bigger than the very Trunck which produces them, says that this may be caused by a distemper: And ex∣perience daily demonstrates by the Pulsation which happens in Inflamations, by the Glandes which appear in the Scrofula, and by the Veins which disco∣ver themselves in the Eyes by the Opthalmia, that there is a great many things which a Distemper renders visible and sensible, by augmenting them, or changing their Nature, and making them to become hard and dense, from soft and rare as they were. Which we have observed in the Glandes which in some Gazellas, or Antelopes, have seemed to make the Parenchyma of their Liver, which appeared not in others.

We vainly sought in the Stomach and Lungs of our Lyon, some Marks of the cause of its Death, which was told us happeened after the voiding a great deal of Blood thro' the Throat. But we judged by several Circumstances, which have been related, that a Surfeit extraordinary and insupportable to an Animal otherwise weakened, had made him sick: For we know that sometime before his Death, he was several months without going out of his Den, and that it was hard to make him Eat. That for this reason some Remedies were prescribed to him, and amongst others the Eating only the Flesh of young Animals, and those alive. And that those which look't to the Beasts of the Park of Vincennes, to make this Food more delicate did use a method very extraordinary; which was, they flead Lambs alive, and thus they made him to Eat several; which at the first revived him, by createing him an Appetite, and making him brisk. But it is probable that this Food in∣gendered too much Blood, and which was too subtile for an Animal to whom Nature had not given the industry of fleaing those which he Eat: It being credible that the Hair, Wooll, Feathers, and Scales which all Animals of Prey do Swallow, are a seasoning, and necessary Corrective, to prevent their greediness from filling them with a too Succuleut Food.