472 MB. F. E. BEBDARD ON THE [ISToV. 28, 



noticed that all three of the important gastro- intestinal ai'teries 

 in this Lizard arise from the aorta at the same plane exactly. 

 One is not more to the right or left of the median ventral line of 

 the aorta than the others. The hepatic artery accompanies the 

 conjoined abdominal and portal veins in entering the liver. That 

 organ is also supplied by several small branches (see text-fig. 64, 

 p. 475), which naturally owe their blood to the anterior gastric 

 arteries already mentioned, inasmuch as they accompany the 

 gastric veins, which, as is stated below, pour their contents into 

 the anterior region of the liver. I did not detect any fm*ther 

 arterial blood-supply of the liver than from the two sources 

 referred to. 



Renal Arteries. — These arteries (text-fig. 63, p. 473) are very 

 numerous and show a great regularity, not only in their mode of 

 origin, but in their segmental relations. I counted six separate 

 renal arteries on the right side and seven on the left ; and in 

 addition to these the iliac ti-unks, which also give oflF the epigastric 

 arteries, send a branch to the kidneys posteriorly. The renal 

 arteries are accurately paired, save that one artery is missing on 

 the right side. That they are otherwise accurately paired is 

 connected with the fact that they all arise in common with the 

 intercostal ai'teries. Each artery runs over the kidney for some 

 distance before opening into it rather laterally and of course 

 dorsally. 



Anterior Abdominal Vein. — This vein is typically Lacertilian in 

 origin and distribution. There are nevertheless two or three 

 facts concerning its branches to which it will be necessary to call 

 attention. 



The vein arises as usual by two roots from the caudal vein. 

 On each side before they unite into the single vein each half gives 

 off two small veins side by side to the posterior part of the kidney 

 posterior in position to the parieto-renal afl:erent veins mentioned 

 below. After the origin of these a larger vein is given off 

 which runs along the body- wall dorso-ventrally and on the outer 

 side of the kidney. This vein dies away anteriorly before the 

 anterior end of the kidney. It is, as I think, the lateral abdominal 

 vein of other Lacertilia. The anterior abdominal vein runs along 

 the mid-ventral line of the body and is supported by a fold of 

 peritoneum, the continuation backwards of the falciform ligament, 

 and thus the equivalent of the primitive ventral mesenteiy. The 

 vein joins the portal before entering the liver close to the gall- 

 bladder. 



Hepatic Portal System. — The intestinal portal vein posteriorly 

 frees itself from the large intestine, along which it runs in close 

 apposition, at the junction of the small and large intestines. 

 Henceforth it lies at some distance from the intestine in the 

 mesentery. It is noteworthy that this main portal trunk lies on 

 the left side of the dorsal mesentery, so that it lies superficially 

 to the arteries when this mesentery is viewed from the left side. 

 The vein, moreover, contrasts with the arteries over which it runs 



