THE ABSORPTION OF FATS BY THE ALIMEN- 

 TARY TRACT, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE 

 TO THE FUNCTION OF THE PYLORIC CCECA 

 IN THE KING SALMON, ONCORHYNCHUS 

 TSCHAWYTSCHA.* 



By Charles W. Greene 



In an investigation of the distribution of fats in the 

 king salmon. Oncorhynchus tschazvytscha, pursued during 

 the summer just closed, I have examined the various tis- 

 sues and organs of the salmon including the different di- 

 visions of the alimentary canal. For the present purpose, 

 omitting a review of the entire gross anatomy of the sal- 

 mon. I will call your attention at once to the alimentary 

 tract. 



Description of alimentary tract. — The alimentary tract 

 of the salmon is a very simple S-shaped tube. The only 

 divisions of the tube are the stomach and the intestine with 

 its appendages and glands. The first limb of the ^ is repre- 

 sented by the cardiac division of the stomach, the middle 

 piece by the pyloric end of the stomach and the pyloric di- 

 vision of the intestine, and the last limb of the S by the long 

 straight portion of the intestine ending in the rectum. 



The most striking characteristic of this alimentary tube 

 is the presence of the enormous number of diverticula, the 

 pyloric cceca. The number of cceca in the king salmon 

 varies from 140 to 185 as given by Jordan and Evermann 

 in "Fishes of North and Middle America." 



The cceca look like numerous rather large but slender 

 worms attached to the pyloric division of the intestine. 

 They are blind tubes varying in length from 10 to 13 

 cm. for the longest, down to 1 cm. for the shortest. 

 The long cceca are at the beginning of the pyloric in- 

 testine and the short cceca at the other extreme of the py- 

 loric region. The cceca vary in diameter from 0.5 to 0.8 cm. 

 * Published by permission of the U. S. Commissioner of Fisheries 



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