542 DR. J. MUEJE ON THE ANATOMY OF THE SEA-LION. 



c. The Visceral Arteries. 



Bronchial, oesophageal, and intercostal vessels are duly given off within the thorax. 

 Each and all of these are large ; but the latter do not form retia as in Cetacea. 



Small phrenic arteries which penetrate the muscular diaphragm come off from the 

 abdominal aorta below and between the crura. About half an inch lower two dimi- 

 nutive branches are also derived, one on either side of the aorta ; these go to supply the 

 suprarenal bodies. 



The Cceliac axis, the first large trunk, proceeds from the abdominal aorta, half an 

 inch below the last, or about one inch beyond the diaphragm. It has a large calibre, 

 and is one and a half inch long. It ultimately splits into two equal-sized branches, that 

 to the right being the hepatic, and that to the left consisting of a single stem furnishing 

 the gastric, the splenic, and their branches. 



The single left branch derivative from the cceliac divaricates at about an inch from 

 its origin. Its right division, that to which the name of gastric or coronary artery is 

 applicable, proceeds along the lesser curvature for two inches or thereabouts, and then 

 divides into a large anterior and as considerable-sized posterior vessel. Each of these 

 pursues nearly the same course, but on opposite sides of the stomach. Their direction 

 is straight, but oblique to the long diameter of the stomach, parallel with and to the 

 cardiac side of the cleft of the lesser curvature. Both the anterior and the posterior 

 coronary or gastric vessels subdivide into twenty or more branches, which are emitted 

 at oblique or right angles on either side ; and these again, towards the greater curva- 

 ture, subdivide into secondary and tertiary dichotomous branchlets. Thus the greater 

 part of the surface of the stomach receives a vascular covering disposed in a series of 

 dichotomous radii, which inosculate at the greater curvature with their fellows of the 

 opposite side, and anastomose with branchlets of the oesophageal and splenic arteries. 



The large splenic artery is not tortuous as in Man, but sweeps in a curvilinear 

 manner across the middle of the stomach, from the summit of the lesser to rather 

 beyond the middle or towards the pyloric moiety of the greater curvature. A con- 

 siderable-sized branch is given off from the top of the stomach ; and this, like one of 

 the branches of the gastric, is directed towards the extremity of the viscus and there 

 freely anastomoses with the oesophageal vessels. The vasa brevia belie their name, in- 

 asmuch as here they are large long branches, some three or four in number. They 

 proceed beneath the spleen towards the fundus and border of the great curvature, 

 splitting dichotomously like the coronary, and, as before said, inosculating with them. 

 The gastro-epiploica sinistra, or continuation of splenic, as usual, follows the curved 

 outer border of the stomach to the pylorus, and joins the gastro-epiploica dextra. 



The hepatic trunk, one and a half inch from its derivation, sends off its hepatic 

 branch. This lies on the surface of enlargement of the vena cava, and beneath the 

 pancreas ; as it reaches the Spigelian lobe of the liver it splits into two main divisions, that 



