DISTRIBUTION OF LYMPHATICS IN SCORP^ENICHTHYS 57 



for another paper. In contrast to Trois' description this is a 

 single trunk in Scorjxznichthys, extending from the vent to the 

 origin of the pectoral fins. It runs along superficially in the 

 ventro-median line from the vent to the origin of the pectorals, 

 but pierces the body wall some distance behind its cephalic 

 end ; the exact position is noted by 7'(Figs. I and 4), which is 

 a little cephalad to the point of union with the vessels coming 

 from between the profundus and superficial abductor muscles of 

 the ventral fin. At this point a slight sinus is formed, which 

 might be described as receiving an anterior and a posterior 

 ventral trunk. The combined trunk or main stem thus formed 

 penetrates obliquely between the 2 ventral fin abductor muscles, 

 continues cephalad in a median line along the lower surface of 

 the pelvic bones (Fig. 4), and passing between the clavicles 

 and the pelvics, curves around the anterior end of the pelvics 

 to enter the ventral -pericardial sinus (Figs. 4, 6, 9 and 10, 



V.JPer.S.) directly below the ventricle from the rear. The con- 

 nection of this sinus with the veins will be described further on 

 under a separate paragraph. Between the ventral fins the 

 ventral trunk expands into a distinct pear-shaped sinus to which 

 the name ventral sinus has been given (Figs. 1, 2 and 4, 



V.L.S.). This sinus receives at least one pair of intermuscular 

 vessels and two ventral Jin sinuses (Figs. 1, 2 and 4, V.F.L. S.), 

 which lie on the upper or inner base of the ventral fins. They 

 receive the ventral Jin or the ventral Jin ray vessels (Figs. 1, 2 

 and 4, V.F.L. V.) from between each two rays, which soon 

 bifurcate, each fork running along the adjoining rays and 

 receiving the network from the membrane between the two. 

 This is the typical arrangement, but some irregularities are 

 often found as shown by Fig. 2, where some auxiliary ventral 

 -fin vessels (Fig. 2, V.F.L. V. (1) ) were noticed traversing the 

 innermost rays, which reunited in a common vessel that passed 

 over the low r er side of the fin to empty into the ventral fin sinus 

 close to its union with the ventral sinus. The ventral fin sinuses 

 are prolonged cephalad between the external ventral fin abduc- 

 tor muscles and the great lateral muscle as the ventral Jin muscu- 

 lature lymphatic vessels (Figs. 1 and 2, V.M.L. V.)> and in 

 route receive at least three intermuscular or transverse lymphatic 

 Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., May, 1906. 



