58 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON THE ANATOMY [Jail. 15, 



already made known in i-ecent communications to the Society 

 upon the anatomy of these Reptiles. In Iguana tuherculata I 

 found in two examples two gastro-hepatic veins, and precisely the 

 same arrangement characterised two examples of Amjjhiholurus 

 harhatus. Uromastix acanthinurus showed, also in two examples, 

 a single vein, which, however, was made up of three considerable 

 affluents from the stomach ; these, it will be understood, entered 

 the liver as a single vessel. In one of the specimens the third 

 affluent only joined the common trunk formed by the other two 

 just before their entrance into the liver. In Gerrhonotits, Tupi- 

 tiambis, Cha^nceleon, Phelsutna, Tarentola, I have recorded, or am 

 now able to record, the existence of only one gastro-hepatic vein, 

 wliich however is, as a rule, made up of two affluents. The 

 Scincidfe form an exception to the general arrangement of these 

 vessels, and at first sight appear therefore to be near akin in this 

 particvilar to Gerrhonotus. 



Of Tiliqim scincoides I have dissected two examples for the 

 purposes of the present investigation, and find in both of thein 

 the following arrangement of the gastro-hepatic veins. There 

 are four of these, which appear at first sight to lie accurately side 

 by side in the gastro-hepatic mesentery. A more careful exami- 

 nation, however, shows that the stomach is bound to the liver by 

 two mesenteries, one above the other, as seen when the animal is 

 opened along the median ventral line and the viscera examined 

 in an undisturbed condition. The lower of these, i.e. that which 

 lies above in the ordinary position adopted in dissection, is the 

 gastro-hepatic mesentery found in all Lizards. When this is cut 

 through a second mesentery comes into view, which is attached to 

 the right side of the liver and to the more dorsal side of the 

 stomach. This mesentery exists in other Saurians, but is inserted 

 on to the mesogastrium and does not touch the stomach at all. 

 Whether this arrangement of the right dorsal suspensory ligament 

 of the liver has anything to do with the double umbilical ligament 

 of the same family of Lizards is not certain ; but it is found in 

 most but not in all Skinks. I find it in the genus which we are 

 now considering, in /Seps {Chalcides), Scincics, Eumeces, and Macro - 

 scinctis. It is not to be found in Trachydosaurus rugosus. To 

 revert to the gastro-hepatic veins in Tiliqua scincoides, the most 

 posterior of the four veins runs along the right or lower (as seen 

 on dissection) gastro-hepatic mesentery ; in front of it are two 

 of the veins which run in the upper or left gastro-hepatic mesen- 

 tery (the mesentery present in all Lizards). Finally, there is a 

 single vein which is inserted just at the junction anteriorly of the 

 lines of attachment of the two mesenteries, to the lower (dorsal) 

 surface of the liver. In Trachydosaurus, which, although a 

 member of the family Scincidse, agrees with other Lizards in the 

 presence of only one gastro-hepatic mesentery, I find in an 

 example dissected only one gastro-hepatic vein, which, as is so 

 usual, is formed by two equally sized affluents. I have some 

 notes, however, of an example, dissected a good many years ago. 



