Io6 NERVE COMPONENTS OF BONY FISHES. 



about the caudal end of the inferior pharyngeal bone. 

 There are no obvious taste buds in this region. If 

 present, they are very small. 



VII. — Other Visceral Rami of the Vagus. 



Under this head I shall describe motor and sensory 

 rami of the vagus which distribute caudad of those visceral 

 rami which accompany the branchial nerves. The gan- 

 glion of this division cannot be separated from that of the 

 fourth branchial and only imperfectly from the jugular, 

 or general cutaneous ganglion {jug. g.). There are few, 

 if any, taste buds in the area supplied by it. 



I. — Ramjis Iiitcstinalis. 



Most of the fibres of this division are destined for the 

 r. intestinalis or the equally large r. oesophageus. The 

 former (r. intest. X.) runs caudad between the kidney and 

 the dorsal wall of the oesophagus, giving off fibres to the 

 latter from time to time and anastomosing at intervals 

 with the main sympathetic chain of the trunk which lies 

 farther dorsad. Its farther course was not traced. 



2. — CEsophageal Rami. 



At the point where the intestinal ramus separates from 

 the branchial complex (730) several very large trunks of 

 apparently the same nature (r. ces.) turn directly ventrad 

 to the oesophagus, which is just closing off from the 

 pharynx at this level. These fibres supply the strong 

 oesophageal muscles and probably also the epithelium, 

 which is here very glandular. No taste buds are present. 

 The innervation of this region is surprisingly rich and 

 most of the fibres are apparently motor. Both the circu- 

 lar and longitudinal muscular fibres of the oesophagus 



