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Perrault, Claude, 1613-1688 / Memoir's for a natural history of animals : containing the anatomical descriptions of several creatures dissected by the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris
(1688)
The anatomical description of eight ostriches, pp. 217-238 ff.
Page 233
ejf.Abt OSTRICHES 233 the Sterx Mm. it proceeded from the middle of one of the grexat Di~phragmes anA ci c aving on thu forepart to the Tranfverfe Mufclcs of the lower Bielly and on the hind-part to the Aponeitrofes of the Mufcles of the Lungs,it w tnt to faften it fifil tothe other great Dliapbrrme. Underneath it wva garoifhcd with Fat about the thicknefsof ones Finger. The Lmgij-being included between the Ribbs and little Diaphr.agrnsscall ed bv us the Mufcles of the Lungs, were compof~d of two Red and Spongi- ous itl<lhy parts, as in other Birds. They were each ten inches long and three and a lalf broad, being an inch and a half thick. Each of the two Branches of the Afjera Arteria, entring into the Lungs, was divided into fe- veral branches, which were diftributed into its whole Parenchyma, as in Ter- retlial Animnals, except that all thefe Branches were fimply Membraiious without any Cartilages. The Airpalfing into thefe branches, went to the external .Iurfacc of thle Parenchyma which was pierced with an infinite number of little holes, which were feen through a very thin Coat, %,Wherewitlh the wholeLungs were covered to inclofl theAirand let it out only thro five holes' each about five lines Diameter, and ranked according to the length of the Lungs, tome towards the Back-bone, others towards the Sternum. ThoE holes which were towards the Sternman, piercing the flefby part of the Muf cle of the Lungs to penetrate into the Bladders) were oblique; and it feei'd to be thus formed that the Air might be voluntarily retained in thef& Blad- ders by thle AIlon of the Mufcle, which, by contrading it felfe, might leffen this hole, for Iome ufes which may be conjeEtured, as it fhall be explain- ed in the fEquel. The four Bladders which were on each fide at the top of the Thorax, were included, as has been fiiid, between the Displhragme and the M' ufde of the Lungs wherewith they 'vQre covered over. The Coat of each Bladder was fafened by the fidcs of the iphragme and" Mufcle of the Lungs. At the top and bottom it was joyned to the Coats of the Neighbouring Bladders be- tween which it was. 'IThe fifth Bladder, wvhich was a great deal larger than the reLt, was not included between the Di.-phragme and the Mufcle of the Lungs, but between the two Diaphrages with the Inteines and other parts of the lower Belly; and that they touclht the Mufcle of the Lungs only at the place where it was Pierced, to give paffage to the Air that it received from the Lungs. In Eagles and fome other Birds, we found thefe Bladders faftned by the bottom to a Membrane exceedingly loaded with Fat, which incloled as in a Sack the Ventricle and Inteftines, and whichl we have taken for an Epiploonr. lhe parts of this Strudure could not be fo well obferved in other Birds, bt reafon of the tendcrniets of thle Coats whvlereof thefe Bladders are compofe, which in the 0//rich are about the thicknefs of a Hog's Bladder; and we found thole of the lower Belly in one of our Subjeds four times thicker, be- ing Scirrhous: But in molt other Birds it is almoft impoffible not to cut them in making the Diffetdion, and they can be well viewed only by keep- ing them extended by blowing into the Afpera Arteria. This knowledg of this Strudure gave the Society an occarion of making feveral Refledions on the manner of Relpiration in general, and on that particular to Birds, Ff to
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