VEINS OF BIRDS. 207 



to the vena port^e, just as it penetrates the liver on the side of 

 the hepatic duct. The next is made of two branches ; of wliich 

 one returns the blood of the posterior gastric artery, and there- 

 fore may be called the posterior gastric vein ; and the other is 

 furnished by the pancreas and duodenum, and is the pancreatic 

 vein. The third and largest branch of the vena portse is the 

 mesenteric vein, ib. :r, which not only collects the blood from all 

 the small intestines, but likewise receives the inferior mesenteric, 

 ib. z, or vein of the rectum, which forms the communication that 

 has been described with the pelvic veins. 



^ The veins of the left lobe of the liver are furnished in the 

 Goose by those which accompany the anterior gastric artery, and 

 some branches from the head of the duodenum. 



^ The anterior gastric veins produce two small trunks, which 

 enter at the two extremities of the fissure, in the concave surface 

 of the left lobe of the liver, as it lies upon the edge of the 

 gizzard; the veins from the head of the duodenum furnish a 

 small vessel which passes backward to penetrate the posterior 

 part of the fissure in the left lobe. 



* In the Cock the veins that the left lobe of the liver derives 

 from the anterior gastric, are more numerous than in the Goose. 



' The veins of the zone of gastric glands, and of the lower 

 portion of the oesophagus, do not contribute to the secretory 

 vessels of the liver, but proceed to the superior part of that 

 viscus, to terminate in the vena cava, as does also the umbilical 

 vein. 



* The vein which returns the blood of the inferior extremities 

 is divided in the pelvis into two branches, which correspond with 

 the femoral and ischiadic arteries; the one passes through the 

 ischiadic foramen, and the other through the hole upon the 

 anterior margin of the pelvis ; but the proportion they bear to 

 each other in magnitude is the very reverse of what occurs in 

 the arteries ; for the anterior vein is the principal one, whilst the 

 other is not a very considerable vessel, and receives its supply of 

 blood from the muscles at the posterior part of the joint. 



' The femoral vein, ib. a a, immediately without the pelvis, gives 

 branches on both sides, which receive the blood of the extensor 

 and adductor muscles at their superior part: the trunk passes 

 obliquely under the accessory muscle of the flexor digitorum, and 

 over the os femoris, where it lies superficially ; it then mnds 

 under the adductor muscles, and gets into the ham, h b, where it 

 receives many muscular branches, and comes into company mth 

 the artery and nerve. It here divides into the tibial, c c, and 



