614 ME. F. E. BEDDARD ON THE [May 29, 



upon which I i-eport here, the lateral parietal vein was defective 

 here and there between its origin with the azygos stem from the 

 right superior vena cava and the origin from it of the anterior 

 hepatic branch. After this point it was present as a continuous 

 vessel to some way beyond the origin from it of the suprarenal 

 portal stem. On the left side of the body, the vein originates 

 from the left anterior vena cava at a point nearer to the head than 

 does the right. Thence it is traceable as a continuous vessel to a 

 point just short of the origin from the parietes of the left supra- 

 renal poi'tal. Neither in this individual nor in those previously 

 described by me * is there any connection with the pelvic veins. 

 In other resj)ects there is a fairly close agreement between all 

 three specimens. 



In Varanus exanthematicus I found rather different features in 

 the azygos and lateral parietal veins. Both anterior venee cavee 

 gave off a backwardly running vein. This vein on the right side 

 arose in front of the subclavian and had a very short course upon 

 the parietes. The vein of the left side arose behind the orifice of 

 the subclavian vein and divided into two short branches. Neither 

 of these veins was connected with the posteriorly situated lateral 

 parietal veins. Posteriorly these veins were obvious on both 

 sides of the body. On the right side they could be traced from 

 opposite the testis into direct communication with the root of the 

 anterior abdominal vein. In this connection therefore with the 

 pelvic veins, the lateral parietal vein of Varanus exanthematicus 

 appears to differ from that of Varanus griseus. On the left side, 

 the connection with the left root of the anterior abdominal vein 

 was also quite obvious, but there was a slight gap along the course 

 of the vein. The connection of the lateral parietal veins with 

 those of the hind limbs obviously brings Varanus more into line 

 with other Lacertilia, where these veins are general and where 

 such a connection occurs. 



Remains of Posterior Cardinals. — Hochstetter has mentioned in 

 the case of Varanus griseus a vein which runs along the vas 

 deferens and which he termed the vena deferentialis, describing- 

 at the same time its connection with the suprarenal portal veins. 

 The commencement of this vein from the afferent is also figured 

 by him. I have elsewhere t compared this vein to a similar vein in 

 the Boidge and suggested its equivalence to the posterior cardinal. 

 This view was obviously uncertain as long as the conditions obtain- 

 ing in the female Varanus were unknown. For a vein supplying 

 the vas deferens might be merely regarded as the necessary physio- 

 logical equivalent of a vein supplying the oviduct and developed 

 ad hoc, without any moriDhological meaning at all. The same vein, 

 however, exists in the female. I found in a female V. niloticus 

 that the afferent renal vein was prolonged headward of the kidney 

 and ran alongside of the efferent renal vein over the suprarenal 

 body, receiving the suprarenal portal vein, which will be described 



* Loc. cit. (on p. 610). 



t P. Z. S. 1906, vol. i. p. 21. 



