174 The Alligator and Its Allies 



The smaller nuclei scattered among the larger 

 ones, noted in connection with the hibernating 

 stage, are not here seen. 



As in the hibernating stage cilia are present on 

 some but not all cells of this region. 



The only noticeable difference between the feed- 

 ing and hibernating conditions of the posterior 

 region of the oesophagus is in the epithelium, 

 which, as in the feeding condition of the anterior 

 oesophagus, exhibits but one zone of closely set 

 nuclei, that at the base of the epithelium. 



The Stomach. The stomach was sectioned in 

 three regions, as shown in Figure 35: (i) in the 

 cardiac region very near the opening of the oeso- 

 phagus; (2) in the middle or fundic region; 

 and (3) in the region near the opening of the 

 pylorus. The first two sections are in the first or 

 large region of the stomach ; the third section is in 

 the second or small region of the stomach (Fig. 



35). 



The wall as a whole is thickest in the fundus, be- 

 ing there practically twice as thick as in the pyloric 

 and half again as thick as in the cardiac region. 

 This great thickening is due mainly to a thickening 

 of the middle or oblique layer of muscle, which is 

 here remarkably developed. The mucosa is of 

 nearly uniform thickness in the different regions 

 and will be described later. 



Since there is no striking difference beside that of 

 thickness in the general structure of the wall of the 



