MAMMALIAN ALVEOLINGUAL SALIVARY AREA 327 



value, and serve rather to express the usual development of the 

 glands than as absolute morphologic criteria. There is, again, sub- 

 stantial agreement as to the submaxillary, which Zumstein defines 

 by its general inframylohyoid position and its orifice upon the caruncula 

 sublingualis, where the caruncle is developed. While it is true that the 

 body of the submaxillary hes in large part below the level of this muscle, 

 the position is better expressed as caudal (posterior) ; its duct extend- 

 ing beyond the border of the muscle and turning through the interval 

 between the digastric muscle and the mandible, secures for its ultimate 

 arborization the usual situation below the angle of the jaw, from which 

 it derives its name. While the body of the gland, so far as our present 

 knowledge extends, is always ectal to the digastric, in many forms a 

 much more caudal point is reached, the body being cervical or even 

 thoracic in position (Owen, Carmalt, Huntington, Silvester). The 

 duct may present a supramylohyoid efflorescence of small lobules, 

 the dorsal and ventral accessory submaxillaries (Huntington). Their 

 ducts are usually short and open respectively into the dorsum and 

 venter of the main duct ; a caudal member of the ventral series may 

 have a recurrent duct. Less frequently a dorsal element, the secondary 

 submaxillary (Huntington) , is present ; its duct joins that of the sub- 

 maxillary after a course of variable length in contact with it dorsally. 



The sublinguals minores are a series of small glands which, when 

 completely developed, extend from the salivary caruncle along the 

 alveolingual gutter to the arcus palatinus and there ascend to become 

 continuous with the isthmian and palatine glands, as in man and a 

 number of other primates (Huntington). The caudal members not 

 infrequently are suppressed, and the series may stop at (Zalophus, 

 Silvester), or in front of (rat, Ranvier) the lingual nerve, a condition 

 less common than has been supposed. On the other hand, only the 

 caudal members may be present. When this is the case, two possi- 

 bilities offer : the series may extend into continuity with the isthmian 

 glands and appear as a continuation of this group (cat, Carmalt) ; or 

 the isthmian group may be suppressed, the arcus palatinus totally free 

 of glands, and the lesser subhnguals represented only by a few small 

 elements in the vicinity of the Ungual nerve (wolverine, Carmalt). 



The sublingualis major rarely extends beyond the digastric muscle, 

 upon the posterior belly of which its fundus is molded. Laterad, 



