474. MR. F, E. BEDDARD ON THE [ Nov. 28, 
the postericr end of the stomach this portal affluent joins the 
main portal trunk in the immediate neighbourhood of the 
junction of the latter with the anterior abdominal vein. 
On the left side is a corresponding vein which takes up blood 
from the spleen as it passes that viscus. 
The liver anteriorly is supplied (see text-fig. 64, p. 475) with a 
series of some five gastro-hepatie veins, which run across from the 
stomach to the liver, where they are collected into a longitudinal 
vein before opening directly into the liver. This forwardly 
directed vessel is not, however, a direct prolongation of the con- 
joined portal and anterior abdominal as in Hatteria*. This vein 
also receives the dorsal parieto-hepatic affluents of the hepatic 
portal system, which will be dealt with immediately. Accompany- 
ing each gastro-hepatic vein is an artery, which arteries I have 
already described above. The close association of gastro-hepatic 
veins and supplementary hepatic arteries is very reminiscent of 
what is to be found among Snakes, and very unlike the prevailing 
arrangement among Lacertilia. It is doubtless to be correlated 
with the great length of the liver in Ophisawrus and Snakes. 
The dorsal parieto-hepatic veins are particularly well developed 
in this Lizard as compared with many other genera. And, 
furthermore, they differ from those of many other Lacertilia in 
being mainly developed upon the left instead of upon the right 
side. There is, in fact, only one of these veins upon the right side. 
On the left, on the contrary, three or four veins arise from a varied 
number of intercostal spaces. The most posterior of these runs 
along the vertebral column for a distance of seven vertebra, 
receiving a branch corresponding to each intercostal space. The 
vertebral affluents of the hepatic portal system which arise in 
front of this have not so long a course along the vertebral column 
by far. They emerge from the parietes and at once pass down- 
wards to the portal system. These dorsal parieto-hepatic veins 
join the longitudinal vein already described, which runs along the 
dorsal edge of the liver anteriorly and which also receives the 
gastro-hepatic vessels. The fact that this system is almost 
entirely developed on the left side is to be compared with the 
parallel fact that the only one of two azygos veins to be retained 
in Ophisaurus is also the left-hand vein. ' 
Epigastric System of Veins.—The smaller veins which run in the 
umbilical (falciform) ligament and pour their contents into the 
liver have a somewhat different arrangement from that found in 
certain other Lizards. The system, instead of consisting of one 
continuous vein running in the falciform lgament in close 
apposition to the ventral body-wall in the median line with 
branches to the liver-substance, consists of two separate veins of 
considerable size. The anterior of these enters the liver far 
forwards. It is formed of two veins which unite just before 
their conjoined entry into the liver, of which the anteriorly 
* Above, p. 464, I offer some remarks upon this extension forwards of the’ portal 
vein, also on p. 484 of the present communication. 
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