198 ANATOMY OF VERTEBRATES. 



side of the next intestine it is expended, inosculating at the end 

 of the coecum with branches of the mesenteric artery, which are 

 distributed to the adjoining portion of the small intestine. The 

 posterior gastric then furnishes a large vessel which runs upon 

 the gizzard, and divides into two chief branches, which penetrate 

 the substance of the digastric muscle, in which they are lost. 



' The next branch of the posterior gastric artery is the pan- 

 creatic. It runs between the two pancreatic glands, dispensing 

 branches to each and to the duodenum. After this the trunk of 

 the posterior gastric divides into two branches, which furnish 

 tmgs to the muscular parietes of the ventricle, and run along 

 the margins of the upper and lower portions of the digastric 

 muscle, supplying them with numerous twigs, and anastomosing 

 with the ramifications of the other gastric arteries. 



* The anterior gastric artery descends to the angle formed by 

 the bulbus glandulosus and the gizzard, and there sends off a 

 small branch which spreads upon the zone of the gastric glands, 

 and inosculates with the first ramifications of the coeliac, and 

 immediately afterwards it detaches a large artery, which runs 

 round the superior margin of the digastric muscle, which it fur- 

 nishes with many tmgs, and communicates freely with the corre- 

 sponding branch of the posterior gastric artery. 



^ Three small hepatic arteries take their origin from this branch 

 of the anterior gastric, just as it passes over the highest part of 

 the margin of the gizzard ; these vessels enter the fissure in the 

 left lobe of the liver. The anterior gastric artery now proceeds 

 along the fore part of the gizzard, sending one or two branches 

 into the muscular substance, and near the tendon it terminates in 

 two large vessels, one of which is distributed upon the left side of 

 the digastric muscle, and the other passes a little over the tendon, 

 and then divides into two arteries, which produce several branches 

 that disappear in the substance of the gizzard, and betAveen the 

 digastric muscles and the parietes of the ventricle, anastomosing 

 with the vessels of the posterior side. 



' The superior mesenteric artery, fig. 93, 21, takes its origin 

 from the fore part of the aorta, a little below the coeliac, and pro- 

 ceeds for some way without detaching any branches ; after which 

 it experiences the same kind of division and subdivision that takes 

 place in Mammalia ; and the numerous arteries which are thus 

 ultimately produced are spent upon the small intestines. One of 

 the first and largest branches of the superior mesenteric, however^ 

 is allotted to supply on6 of the coeca, and to establish a communi- 

 cation with the inferior mesenteric and gastric arteries. This 



