CRANIAL NERVES OF SIREN LACERTINA 293 
at the inner dorsal border of the anterior extension of the petrosal 
cartilage, the postorbital process (fig. 10), thence at the lateral 
border of the temporal muscle, dorso-medial to the eyeball and 
dorsal to the ramus ophthalmicus profundus V (figs. 9, 8, 7). 
Reaching the nasal capsule it runs along its dorsal border (figs. 
6-3), and breaks up into numerous small branches in the snout, 
throughout its entire length*supplying the supraorbital series of 
neuromasts. 
5. The truncus infraorbitalis 
Of the general cutaneous fibers from the Gasserian ganglion 
that ally themselves with the dorsal lateral line nerves the greater 
part become associated with the infraorbital trunk, if, indeed, we 
may not regard them all as primarily belonging to this nerve. As 
stated above, there arise from the bases of the supraorbital and 
infraorbital trunks in variable fashion three or four groups of 
small nerves of general cutaneous fibers, commonly associated with 
lateral line fibers which supply the posterior part of the supra- 
orbital series of neuromasts together with the skin of the same 
region. From this region, near the ganglion, the infraorbital 
trunk runs anteriorly, at first ventral to and close to the supra- 
orbital, giving off only one more branch, which however, follows 
and remains pressed closely against the main nerve, until a region 
a short distance posterior to the eye is reached. From this point 
to the posterior border of the eyeball numerous general cutane- 
ous and lateral line branches are given off, including the one 
just mentioned which has arisen far posteriorly. One of these 
branches, larger than the others, consisting of lateral line and 
general cutaneous fibers (buc.2 + mz.2), and forming the anas- 
tomosis, already described, with the ophthalmicus profundus 
component (op.4) of the palatine anastomosis, passes into the 
nasal capsule, ventral to the ramulus nasalis internus V (figs 9-7), 
and, after giving off the general cutaneous constituent, supplies 
the infraorbital series of neuromasts at the sides of the tip of the 
snout (figs 6-3, buc.2). This anastomosing branch sometimes 
arises as two (fig. 8). 
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, VOL. 24, No. 2 
