82 E VOL UTION AND DISEASE 



Those occurring in the lower part of the neck end 

 blindly. The usual situations of the four branchial slits 

 are indicated in fig. 39. 



Sometimes we find in the situations frequented by 

 these fistulae instead of openings small rounded white 



FIG. 39. A side view of the neck; the figures II, III 

 and IV indicate the common situations of branchial 

 fistulas. 



patches of skin, natural cicatrices, indicating the points of 

 obliteration of the clefts. It is by no means infrequent 

 to find the cutaneous orifice of a persistent branchial slit 

 surmounted by a cutaneous tag, which often contains a 

 small nodule of yellow elastic cartilage resembling that 

 found in the pinna; these projecting. pieces of skin often 



