CRANIAL NERVES OF SIREN LACERTINA 281 
In passing antero-ventrally to the palatine anastomosis the 
profundus branch fuses for a short distance with a division, com- 
posed of lateral line and general cutaneous fibers (buc.2 +mz.2), 
from the infraorbital trunk of the facial nerve as mentioned 
above (figs. 8, 7). The lateral line fibers of the anastomosis soon 
separate as a distinct nerve (buc.2) which, running anteriorly 
along the medial border of the nasal capsule at the lateral edge 
of the orbito-sphenoid cartilage and, more anteriorly, the inter- 
nasal cartilage, ventral to the ramus nasalis internus, emerges 
from the nasal capsule along with the latter nerve, and is dis- 
tributed to neuromasts, mostly at the side of the tip of the snout 
(figs. 6-3). This is the nerve termed by Wilder ramus nasalis 
internus. We see here an illustration of the errors that result 
from the comparing and homologizing of nerves according to their 
course and general distribution, regardless of their composition. 
The ramus nasalis internus V is a general cutaneous branch of 
the ramus ophthalmicus profundus V; the nerve in Siren, desig- 
nated by Wilder as nasalis internus, is wholly lateral line, and 
derived from the ramus buccalis VII. It seems to correspond 
to a great extent in its terminal distribution to that branch in 
Amphiuma designated by the writer as buc.(2). The latter, how- 
ever, runs along the lateral border of the nasal epithelium and 
comes into relation with a profundus branch that has nothing 
to do with the palatine anastomosis. 
When the lateral line constituent leaves the anastomosis, the 
general cutaneous portion from the infra-orbital trunk is left 
behind with the profundus fibers. To form the profundus- 
palatine anastomosis there is given off from the profundus branch 
a twig (fig. 7, op.4l.) that passes ventro-laterally and finally some- 
what posteriorly between the posterior wall of the postnaris and 
the anterior border of the base of the antorbital cartilage, 
through a small foramen in the latter, and on the ventro-lateral 
border of the latter in close relation with the lateral palatine 
(pal.2) divides and extends anteriorly and posteriorly, in part 
in union with, in part parallel with the lateral palatine. Most 
of the general cutaneous fibers in the lateral anastomosis appear 
to run posteriorly. The lateral palatine can be traced but a com- 
