PLATYPUS AM) ECHIDNA. 



exit of* the vena cava, meet the peritoneal folds connect- 

 ing liver to diaphragm. From this point also where it is 

 continuous with the suspensory ligament we see a mem- 

 brane attached above to the diaphragm and curving down 

 on the inner side of the left lateral lobe. At the dorsal 

 curved portion of the oblique fissure it is continuous 

 with the gastro-hepatic omentum. In a large male Platy- 

 pus the lateral (dexiro-sinistral) measurement of the 

 liver was 13 cm. and dorso-ventral measurement was 9 

 cm. Laterally, cystic was 10 cm., left lateral was 7 cm., 

 right lateral including spigelian was 8 cm. 



(b) Echidna.— Here we distinguish the same divi- 

 sions as in the Platypus, viz. mesial or cystic in front sep- 

 arated into a large right and smaller left portions by the 

 suspensory ligament, and dorsally the right and left lat- 

 eral lobes separated from the former by the coronal fis- 

 sure. The cystic lobes form less of the anterior margin of 

 the liver than in Platypus. The suspensory ligament runs 

 obliquely backwards and to the right (not mesially) from 

 the ventral border to the coronal fissure (inf. v. cava.). 

 Its length is 4.5 cm. and it is attached above to the mus- 

 cular and tendinous part of the diaphragm. There is 

 no gall bladder fissure as in the Platypus, i.e. the gall 

 bladder does not project on the diaphragmatic surface. 

 In only one of a series of eight specimens was there a 

 thinning of the liver substance over the gall bladder with 

 a slight indentation on the ventral margin. This was 

 to the right of the suspensory ligament. Though the 

 coronal fissure may completely separate the cystic from 

 the lateral lobes yet we frequently see evidence of fusion 

 dorsally between the right lateral and right cystic and left 

 lateral with the left cystic lobes, and especially the latter. 

 Thus we have a right and left coronal fissure and the 

 left coronal may be 1.25 cm. from the inf. v. cava. There 

 is a more complete differentiation of the spigelian from 



3 



