474 MR. F. E. BEDDARD OX THE [NoV. 28, 



the posterior end of the stomach this portal afBvient joins the 

 main portal trunk in the immediate neighbourhood of the 

 junction of the latter with the anterior abdominal vein. 



On the left side is a corresponding vein which takes up blood 

 from the spleen as it passes that viscus. 



The liver anteriorly is suj)plied (see text-fig. 64, p. 475) with a 

 series of some five gastro-hepatic veins, which run across from the 

 stomach to the liver, where they are collected into a longitudinal 

 vein before opening directly into the liver. This forwardly 

 directed vessel is not, however, a direct prolongation of the con- 

 joined poi'tal and anterior abdominal as in Hatteria*" . This vein 

 also receives the dorsal parieto-hepatic aifluents of the hepatic 

 portal system, which will be dealt with immediately. Accompany- 

 ing each gastro-hepatic vein is an artery, which arteries I have 

 already described above. The close association of gastro-hepatic 

 veins and supplementary hepatic arteries is very reminiscent of 

 what is to be found among Snakes, and very unlike the prevailing 

 arrangement among Lacertilia. It is doubtless to be correlated 

 with the great length of the liver in Ophiscmrus and Snakes. 



The dorsal parieto-hepatic veins are particularly well developed 

 in this Lizard as compared with many other genera. And, 

 furthermore, they differ from those of many other Lacertilia in 

 being mainly developed upon the left instead of upon the right 

 side. There is, in fact, only one of these veins upon the right side. 

 On the left, on the contrary, three or four veins arise from a varied 

 number of intercostal spaces. The most posterior of these runs 

 along the vertebral column for a distance of seven vertebrae, 

 receiving a branch corresponding to each intercostal space. The 

 vertebral afliuents of the hepatic portal' system which arise in 

 front of this have not so long a coiu'se along the vertebral column 

 by far. They emerge from the parietes and at once pass down- 

 wards to the portal system. These dorsal parieto-hepatic veins 

 join the longitudinal vein already described, which i-uns along the 

 dorsal edge of the liver anteriorly and which also receives the 

 gastro-hepatic vessels. The fact that this system is almost 

 entirely developed on the left side is to be compared with the 

 parallel fact that the only one of two azygos veins to be retained 

 in Ophisaifjvus is also the left-hand vein. 



Epigastric System of Veins. — The smaller veins which run in the 

 umbilical (falciform) ligament and pour their contents into the 

 liver have a somewhat different arrangement from that found in 

 certain other Lizards. The system, instead of consisting of one 

 continuous vein running in the falciform ligament in close 

 apposition to the ventral body-wall in the median line with 

 branches to the liver-substance, consists of two separate veins of 

 considerable size. The anterior of these enters the liver far 

 forwards. It is formed of two veins which unite just before 

 their conjoined entry into the liver, of which the anteriorly 



* Above, p. 464, I offer some remarks upon this extension forwards of the portal 

 vein, also on p. 484 of the present communication. 



