1893.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 229 



graph, while the blood corpuscles have been studied by Van der 

 Hoeven, 12 Harting, 13 Crisp" and Gulliver. 15 



The Japanese batrachian having attracted the attention of so 

 many eminent anatomists, as might naturally be supposed there 

 remains but little to be said that is new concerning its organization. 

 The author would, however, call attention to the fact that while 

 Hyrtl's description of the disposition of the pulmonary and branch- 

 ial arteries is such as observed by himself, nevertheless his figure 

 (op. cit. Plate II, fig. 4) illustrating the same is apt to mislead, as it 

 gives the impression that the two branchial arteries that unite to 

 form the aorta lie above the heart, whereas their natural position is 

 such as is represented in Plate V, fig. I ; 2, 3. Again, in reference 

 to the course of the pulmonary vein that conveys arterialized blood 

 from the lungs to the left auricular part of the heart especially dis- 

 posed to receive it, Hyrtl (op. cit. p. 94) simply says: " Foramen 

 venae pulmonalis in atrio sinistro, nullam valvulam praetextam 

 habet, ambitus ejus calami tenuioris introductionem concedit." 



In order to remove any obscurity that may prevail on this point, 

 the author takes occasion to observe that the common pulmonary 

 vein (indicated by the bristle, Plate V, fig. 2, a), formed by the 

 union of the two pulmonary veins passes along the inner side of the 

 common sinus, fig. 2, S, receiving the blood from the two pre-caval 

 and post-caval veins, without, however, communicating with it, and 

 enters the left auricular part of the heart, L A, by a distinct open- 

 ing, the sinus S just referred to entering the right auricular part, 

 R A, of the heart by an equally distinct one. 16 It is needless to add 

 that the author found the delicate septum separating the auricles 

 incomplete. 



The blood corpuscles having been previously described by a num- 

 ber of observers, it would be superfluous to dwell further upon their 



12 Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijka Geschiedenis. etc., 8, 1841, p. 270. 



13 Verslagen, Amsterdam, 1858, p. 368. 



14 Proc. Zoological Society, London, 1860. p. 204. 



15 Proc. Zoological Society, London, 1873, p. 162. 



10 At the time that the above was written, the author had not seen the Aante- 

 kenigen of Van der Hoeven. Through the courtesy of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion a copy of that work having been kindly placed at his disposal, he learned that 

 his description of the pulmonary vein was essentially the same as that previously 

 given by the Dutch anatomists — p. 43 : " De daardoor ontstane vena pulmonalis 

 communis is nog 57 mms. lang. en geheel vergroeid met de vena cava, met welke 

 zig opklint, zich lang zamer hand naar de regter zij de slingerende ; de in mond- 

 ing in deo linker voorhof is aan deszelfs achterwand gelegen, en iets meer naar 

 boven dan de opening der vena cava in den regter voorhof, der halve geenszins 

 in de onmiddellijke nabijheid van de spleet vormige opening ond,er aan het septum 

 atriorum." 



