192 NERVE COMPONENTS OF BONY FISHES. 



above it appears that the first supposition is not true ; for 

 this nerve seems to be general throughout the teleosts. 

 There is no reason to assume that it is not a proper con- 

 stituent of the r. buccalis. 



Stannius mentions an anastomosis between the r. buc- 

 calis, in forms in which it is well isolated from the r. 

 maxillaris (Cottus, Cyclopterus, Gadus) and the r, oph- 

 thalmicus superficialis. He has shown, furthermore ('49, 

 p. 41) that among the teleosts there is the widest variation 

 as to the relations of the r. mandibularis V, the r. maxil- 

 laris and the r, buccalis, from quite separate origins from 

 the ganglionic complex to the fusion into a common infra- 

 orbital trunk, as in the present case. As the other forms 

 which exhibit this infra-orbital trunk belong to widely 

 separated families, it is probable that it is merely an 

 adaptive modification in each case. In Menidia it is 

 clearly produced mechanically by the crowding of the 

 parts due to the enormous size of the eyes. The fusion 

 of the r. buccalis with the r. maxillaris he correlates in 

 Amiurus and other forms ('49, pp. 41 and 43) with the 

 abortion of the bones of the infra-orbital ring and this is 

 confirmed by our relations here. On page 43 he char- 

 acterizes the r. buccalis as the nerve for the region of the 

 infra-orbital bones and includes both lateralis and general 

 cutaneous fibres. While it is probably true in other 

 fishes, as in Menidia, that the nerves for the organs of the 

 infra-orbital lateral line are usually accompanied by gen- 

 eral cutaneous fibres for the adjacent skin, yet it accords 

 better with more recent usage to confine the term r. 

 buccalis to the lateralis fibres and relegate the general 

 cutaneous fibres, no matter how closely related to them, 

 to the r. maxillaris. Thus the independence of the later- 

 alis fibres is recognized and one step is taken toward a 

 more consistent nomenclature. 



VIII. — The Ramus Oticus. 



This nerve has an independent origin from the extra- 

 cranial portion of the ganglionic complex. It draws off 

 general cutaneous and lateralis fibres, the former directly 



