516 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON THE VASCULAR ANB [May 1, 



the bronchus in each case iDeing continued far into the interior 

 of the king as a gutter, which is, however, so narrow as not to 

 be functionally a gutter at all ; it is for the greater part merely 

 a flat band composed of tracheal, or rather bronchial semi- 

 rings. Relatively to the length of the two lungs, the bronchial 

 rings extend perhaps nearly as far towards the posterior extremity 

 of the lung in both cases. In the larger lung the bronchial semi- 

 rings reach down a long way, nearly to the anangious part of that 

 sac. They die away rather gradually, becoming narrower at the 

 end of the series. It is also important to notice that the two 

 bronchi do not diverge as they do in Python. In Boa the shorter 

 bronchus does not arise by a perforation of the tracheal rings ; 

 but the aperture is seen to lie in a thickened area on one side of 

 the bronchial rings appertaining to the right bronchus. 



The lungs of Boa constrictor present certain differences from 

 those of B. diviniloqua. Milne-Edwards has mentioned the 

 tracheal gutter in this species. The larger lung is vascular up to 

 about the end of the first third of the liver. The bronchial gutter 

 runs nearly as far as this point and ends rather abruptly ; its 

 rings do not decrease much in breadth towards their termination ; 

 they do not fine off" to a point. The smaller lung is vascular to a 

 point about one inch beyond the commencement of the liver. It 

 extends altogetlier about halfway down the liver. There is no 

 trace of a bronchus belonging to this lung. It presents the 

 appearance at its orifice of communication of being merely a lobe 

 of the larger lung. It is clear that there is no orifice in the 

 tracheal gutter such as is obvious in various Snakes which are 

 provided with a second lung. But on a careful examination it 

 may be seen that the edge of the tracheal gutter is slightly bitten 

 out, as it were, for a space of a few lines where the smaller lung- 

 arises. There is no question of a bronchial gutter continued along 

 this lung. 



(3) JSfotes upon the Boine gemcs Corallus. 



This snake is placed by systematists among the Snakes of the 

 Boine division of the Boiclfe*. A dissection of the Madagascar 

 species Corallus madagascariensis enables me to record certain 

 anatomical facts which bear upon the question of its systematic 

 placing, and which will also serve as a contribution to our know- 

 ledge of the anatomy of this division of Serpents. 



The example of this serpent which I dissected was not in a 

 very favourable condition for unravelling the details of the cir- 

 ciilatory system, for the veins, and, naturally, the arteries, were 

 largely empty of blood, an anaemic condition which is not infrequent 

 in reptiles that die in the Society's Gardens. Nevertheless, I have 

 been able to ascertain a few facts about the veins which are of 

 importance from the systematic standpoint. 



The first vein which I endeavoured to find was the umbilical. 



* Boulenger, Catalogue of Snakes in the British Museum, vol. i. p. 99. 



