616 MR. F. B. BEDDARD ON THE [May 29, 



Some originate from the more lateral parietes, either actually 

 from the lateral parietal vein when that is present in this region 

 of the body, or from the area usually occupied by it. Others arise 

 from the parietes near to the dorsal line, and are therefore con- 

 nected with the posterior vertebral vein. In Varanus niloticus 

 (text-fig. 104, p. 615) I found on the right side two suprarenal 

 portal veins. The anterior of the two was formed by the union 

 of three vessels springing from the lateral parietes. A small vein 

 from the " omentum " joined this vessel. The posterior of the two 

 suprarenals arose from the parietes close to the dorsal line. Both 

 opened into the posterior cardinal vein where it traversed the 

 suprarenal body. On the left side of the body, the anterior of 

 three suprarenal portals arose from the body- wall close to the 

 dorsal line, and thus corresponds exactly to the dorsal parieto- 

 hepatic vein opposite to it. 



In a specimen of Varanus exanfhematicics the arrangement of 

 these portal veins was a little different and is represented in 

 text-fig. 104. 



The lateral parietal vessel, after leaving the root of the anterior 

 abdominal on the right side of the body, ends in the suprarenal 

 portal in the way illustrated in the figure referred to. The vein 

 thus emerging from the lateral parietal arches over the suprarenal 

 body and divides into two branches, one anterior and one posterior. 

 Each of these again divides into two to supply the suprarenal 

 body, and is also connected with the posterior cardinal vein. A 

 second suprarenal portal arises in front of that just described by 

 a number of branches from the body-wall and joins the con- 

 tinuously running cardinal vein. It also receives a branch 

 arising by many twigs from the " omentum " in the liver region. 

 A third suprarenal portal is anterior to this again and enters the 

 front of the suprarenal gland. On the left side of the body the 

 arrangement was, save for minute details, the same as that which 

 has been described upon the right side of the body. The fewness 

 of the suprarenal portals is thus a characteristic of Varanus as 

 contrasted, for example, with Iguana^'. 



Dorsal Parieto-hepatic Vein. — In the chapter entitled "Systematis 

 venosi fragmenta " t Corti speaks of " Vena intervertebralis quae a 

 posteriori pulmonis dextri extremitate obtecta, atque a foramine 

 quodam intervertebrali scaturiens, se in accessorio hepatis lobulo 

 prope venam renaleon commicnem abdit." The vein is figured by 

 Corti, and is also described by Hochstetter J in the same species 

 of Varanus. I have already confirmed the sta,tement of the two 

 anatomists for Varanus griseus §, and I find now precisely the 

 same arrangement in another example of the same species, of 

 which this single vein is doubtless characteristic. It may be 

 obsei'ved that in this species, as well as in V. exanthe^maticus and 

 V. niloticus, V. bengalensis, and V. ocellatus, the vein in question is 



* P. Z. S. 1904, vol. i. p. 44.3. f ioc. cit. p. 48. 



t Log. cit. p. 466. § P. Z. S. 1904, vol. i. p. 448. 



