1906.] SYSTEM OF CERTAIN SPECIES OF ANURA. 1025 



in two paired series, each pair separating close to the aoi'ta fi-om a 

 common origin and forming from two to foui- branches to each 

 ovary. All of the arteries were invested throughout by a thick 

 muscular coating from the aorta to their fine ramifications in the 

 ovaries. Owing to this, each of the short stalks from which they 

 arose appeared in thickness neai-ly to covei- the diameter of the 

 aorta. The lumen of the arteries themselves was of the usual small 

 size. While all of the ovaricce were as described, all of the renales 

 were quite normal, including the first pair, which separated from 

 a common origin with the first set of ovaricce. In the figure, 

 these thickenings appear to arise at the aoi'ta, but they were in 

 fact continued closely round this and attached above it by small 

 belts of fibres to either side of the sixth and seventh vertebiul centra, 

 being connected at the same time with the sympathetic nervous 

 system. The ovaries were very fully developed. This peculiar 

 condition of the ovaricce would seem to be an almost parallel 

 case to a condition referred to by Gaupp as first observed by 

 Nussbaum in the same arteries of the same species. But whereas 

 the latter author states that the artei-ies ran in the primary mem- 

 bers only of these "vier bis flinf weissliche Strahlen," and appears 

 to have found them associated with the mesovarium generally, 

 they were certainly in the present case connected with the arteries 

 exclusively; for all of the Aa. ovaricce were entirely enveloped by 

 them, and, apart from the Aa. ovaricce, there was no muscular 

 thickening in the mesovarium. They had, in fact, the appearance 

 only of a thick muscular investment of the arterial walls attached 

 dorsally to the sides of the vertebral column. 



The Aa. Itmihales were not followed sufficiently for purposes 

 of comparison." 



The A. mesenterica inferior was given off in all cases from the 

 median ventral line of the aorta, between the last of the Ace. uro- 

 genitcdes and the bifurcation of the aoi'ta. Between these two points 

 its position varied considerably. It was close to the former in 

 B. clccmata, and very close to the latter in R. hexadactylcc, a con- 

 siderable space intervening in each case. It formed an anastomosis 

 with the distal branch of the 'mesenterica anterior in jR. clamcota, 

 R. cateshiana,, and B. horeas, but not in the others, though this 

 point is doubtless quite unimpoi-tant. Ordinaiily it seems to be 

 confined to the large intestine, running down to the cloaca! region, 

 but in R. hexadactyla two-thirds of the artery went to the 

 oviducts. 



The A. epigastrico-vesiccdis showed a good deal of vai'iation in 

 the arrangement of its branches, but a division into three main 

 portions was always apparent, and I am inclined to think that to 

 divide this arteiy accordingly would be more satisfactory than its 

 two-fold division by Gaupp into recto-vesiccdis and ejngastriccc 

 commttnis. For, owing to the tendency of the A . recto-vesiccdis to 

 arise between the two rami into which that author divides 

 the epigastrica communis, the designation epigastrica communis 

 to include these two rami is rendered of little value. While, 



