RAMUS MANDIBULARIS VII. 151 



more intimately united, though from time to time they 

 may completely separate for a short distance, as far for- 

 ward as the cephalic tip of the articular bone. Here the 

 two divisions finally separate (165), the dorsal one, as be- 

 fore, containing fine and medium fibres, while the ventral 

 one contains all of the very coarse fibres with a few of 

 medium size. 



Previously to this, however, a coarse-fibred twig has 

 been given off (200) to supply the fifth canal organ of the 

 mandibular canal {inan. VII. p). 



The fine-fibred dorsal division (7;mn. VII. id) will first 

 be described. It follows, parallel to the other division, 

 the mesal surface of the mandible close under Meckel's 

 cartilage, and at 120 gives a rather strong branch dorsad 

 which supplies numerous taste buds of the mucous lining 

 of the mandible. These fibres were definitely traced in 

 several cases to the buds and not merely to regions where 

 buds abound. This epithelium is also very glandular and 

 doubtless many of the fibres are not destined for the sense 

 organs. 



Other similar branches go off cephalad, also branches 

 for the floor of the mouth over the intermandibularis 

 muscle, which is richly supplied with taste buds. The 

 taste buds supplied by this nerve become more numerous 

 as we pass cephalad, being very abundant all over the 

 inner surface of the lower lip. These buds resemble in 

 structure those farther back on the palate and gill arches 

 supplied by the IX and X nerves, being flask-shaped, 

 resting on a high dermal papilla or fold and with the neck 

 of the flask projecting above the epithelium. 



The origin of the intermandibularis muscle separates 

 this dorsal division from the remainder of the mandibu- 

 laris VII, which lies ventrally of this muscle. At the tip 



