€98 MR, p. E. BEDDARD ON THE [June 15, 



renals on each side. They run straight to each testis, and the 

 vessels appear to form a rete in the suspensory membrane of 

 the testis in which they lie. This formation of a rete is seen 

 in other cases ainong the Edentata — for example in various 

 Armadillos, where it has been figured by Hochstetter and by 

 myself. There is, however, in this no essential difference from 

 what is seen in other mammals ; for generally the spermatic 

 veins in the neighbourhood of the testes or ovaries form a rete. 

 It is only more conspicuous, and commences further away from 

 the testes, in the Edentata now under consideration. The veins 

 which pass between the testes and the postcaval vein seem to me 

 to be limited to the equivalents of the anterior spermatic veins 

 of other mammals. I could find no trace in Tcmiandua of a 

 posterior spermatic vein joining the anterior on each side and 

 flowing into the postcaval in the lumbar region, such as does 

 occur- in some Armadillos and in most Marsupials in addition to 

 the anterior pair. I feel quite convinced that this is really the 

 case in Tamandua, for after searching for the vein I carefully cut 

 the suspensory ligament of each testis and observed no bleeding 

 or the slightest trace of the smallest vessel in this ligament other 

 than those already referred to. It will be remembered that the 

 Armadillos vary from species to species in the presence or 

 absence of a posterior spermatic vein. 



There are no lumbar parietal veins given off until some way 

 after the two postcavals have diverged greatly from each other 

 towards the thighs in the pelvic region. Here two such veins 

 are given off, at any rate on the right side where I studied them 

 most carefully. The two veins anastomose just before entering 

 the postcaval. Owing to the position of the vein where they 

 arise, the lumbar parietals run anteriorly parallel with the long 

 axis of the body. Each vein lies one on each side of a corre- 

 sponding artery. On the opposite side of the postcaval is a 

 corresponding pair of small veins which run in exactly the 

 opposite direction, i. e. towards the pubic symphysis. Here 

 again the two veins lie one on each side of a corresponding 

 artery. The position of the lumbar parietal veins is quite 

 suggestive of the lateral abdominal vein in Lizards. 



The double character of these lumbar veins is to be noted, since 

 in other mammals, for instance among the Garni vora*, these veins 

 are frequently double from the very first, or begin to be so at a 

 very short distance away from their orifice into the postcaval 

 vein or veins. 



Although there is no direct affluent into the postcaval below 

 the orifice of the renal veins of a spermatic vein on either side 

 comparable to the posterior spermatic vein of other mammals, 

 Tamandua possesses on each side of the body a peculiar longi- 

 tudinal vein, which I have studied more exactly on the right 

 side of the body ; I have, however, ascertained that the vein 



* Beddard, "Anatomy of Galidia, &c.," P. Z. S. 1909, p. 486, text-figs. 129 & 130. 



