us urinarius; on each side of
which is an opening leading into a cavity, resembling the horn of the
uterus in the quadruped, only thinner in its coats. Each of these
cavities terminates in a fallopian tube, which opens into the capsule of
an ovarium. The ovaria are very small; they were not in a very perfect
state of preservation, but bore a general resemblance to those of other
quadrupeds.

This structure of the female organs is unlike any thing hitherto met with
in quadrupeds; since in all of them that I examined, says Mr. Home, there
is the body of the uterus, from which the horns go off as appendages. The
opossum differs from all other animals in the structure of these parts,
but has a perfectly formed uterus; nor can I suppose it wanting in any of
the class Mammalia.

This animal, having no nipples, and no regularly formed uterus, Mr. Home
says, he was led to examine the female organ in birds, to see if there
was any analogy between the oviducts in any of that class, and the two
membranous uteri of this animal; but none could be observed; nor would it
be easy to explain how an egg could lie in the vagina to receive its
shell, as the urine from the bladder must pass directly over it. Finding
they had no resemblance to the oviducts in birds, Mr. Home was led to
compare them with the uteri of those lizards which form an egg, that is
afterwards deposited in a cavity corresponding to the uterus of other
animals, where it is hatched; which lizards may therefore be called
ovi-viviparous; and I find, says Mr. Home, a very close resemblance
between them. In these lizards there are two uteri, that open into one
common canal, or vagina, which is extremely short; and the meatus
urinarius is situated between these openings. The coats of these uteri
are thinner than those of the uteri of quadrupeds of the same size.

In the ovi-viviparous dog-fish, the internal organs of the female have a
very similar structure. There is therefore every reason to believe, that
this animal also is ovi-viviparous in its mode of generation.

* * *

It appears, by accounts which have been received from New South Wales,
that the voyage of the small brig _Lady Nelson_, commanded by
Lieutenant Grant, was (notwithstanding her size, being only 60 tons
burden, and the distance she had to sail) effected without her meeting
with any material accident; she arriving in December 1801. Her commander
was so perfectly acquainted with her good qualities, that