ABNORMALITIES IN THE COMMON FROG. 495 



interf erred with by the growth of the liver towards the anterior 

 end of the animal. (Kerr (3) has pointed out "that in 

 Lepidosi7'en and Protopteriis, the tip of the liver is in contact, 

 and fused, with the tip of the right kidney.") This necessitated 

 the persistence of one of the posterior cardinal veins to carry on 

 the functions of the postcaval in returning blood from the 

 posterior end of the body. 



It is interesting to note that this specimen being a male 

 supports O'Donoghue's (4) suggestion that the absence of the 

 postcaval and persistence of a posterior cardinal vein appears to 

 be correlated with the sex of the animal. 



Specimen B. Abnormal Genital Organs in a male 

 Rana temporaria. 



This specimen possessed a greatly hypertrophied testis, which 

 completely covered the left kidney, when viewed from the ventral 

 surface. There was absolutely no trace of a testis on the right 

 side, but the fat-body on both sides was well developed, that on 

 the right side being attached to the kidney. 



The right kidney was about one-eighth of an inch shorter than 

 the left, and was distorted in such a way as to give it a 

 cylindrical appearance, and to cause the ureter to run on the 

 dorsal surface instead of on the outer edge. Both kidneys were 

 so closely apposed that it was difficult to ascertain whether there 

 was any actual fusion. Thei'e was a well developed seminal 

 vesicle attached to each ureter, and from the fact that both 

 seminal vesicles Avere apparently filled with sperms it seems 

 probable that there was some degree of fusion. 



The left renal portal vein was normal but the right renal 

 portal Avas much reduced in size. 



Literature. 



1. Hochstetter, F. — Beiti^age zur vergleichenden Anatomic und 



Eutwicklungsgeschichte des Yenensystems der Amphibien 

 und Fische. Morphol. Jahrb. Bd. 13, 1888. 



2. HowES, G. B. — Note on the Azygos Vein in the Anurous 



Amphibia. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1888, p. 122. 



3. Kerr, J. Graham. — Note on the Posterior Vena Cava in 



Polypterus. Proc. Boy. Physiol, Soc, Edinburgh, vol. 

 xviii. 1910. 



4. O'DoNOGHUE, C. H. — The Persistence of Posterior Cardinal 



Veins in the Frog, together with some Remarks on the 

 Significance of the Renal Portal System. Anat. Anz. Bd. 

 36, 1910. 



5. O'DoNOGHUE, C. H. — Further Instance of the Persistence of 



Posterior Cardinal Veins in the Frog. Anat. Anz. Bd. 43, 

 1913. 

 Proc. Zool. Soc— 1921, No, XXXIV. 34 



