476 ME. F, E. BEDDAKD OX THE [NoV. 28, 



with a second epigastric vein, which, running parallel to and above 

 the anterior abdominal, enters the shelter of the livei- at its end 

 close to the anterior abdominal and joins that vein under the 

 lower surface of the right lobe before it loses itself in the substance 

 of the liver. The disposition of these veins will be obvious from 

 an inspection of text-fig. 64. 



Renal Ported Veins. — In addition to the veins from the tail which 

 bring blood to the kidneys, these glands are also supplied with 

 blood from the parietes in their immediate neighbourhood. A 

 series of vessels (see text-fig. 65) arises from the body-walls aiid 

 plunges into the substance of the kidney on either side. These 

 vessels were for the most part partly injected in the specimen at 

 my disposal and can therefore be accurately mapped. The perito- 

 neum in this region of the body as elsewhere is densely pigmented. 

 But the difficulty of seeing through it is removed by the fact that 

 it is very loosely attached to the parietes and to the kidneys, which 

 lie, of course, behind it. When it is carefully removed the veins in 

 question are very plainly exposed. They arise from the parietes 

 very laterally — that is, not at all close to the median dorsal line, 

 whence such vessels ordinarily arise in Lizards. Originally they 

 appeal- to have been accurately segmental, one arising fi-om each 

 segment as denoted by a rib. In point of fact, however, the vessels 

 belonging to two or to three ribs occasionally unite before opening 

 into the kidney. It is also to be noted that the veins in question 

 pour their contents into the kidney at different levels. Some 

 vessels enter the kidney along its outer edge, while others plunge 

 into its substance more dorsally. This arrangement is roughly 

 alternate. There were six of these vessels to each kidney, but 

 their distribution was not exactly the same on both sides of the 

 body. These vessels do not appear to be referred to by Hoch- 

 stetter, though he mentions them in Anguis fragilis. I have 

 noticed them in other Lizards, where possibly they are represented 

 by the veins from the hind limbs. In any case they are very 

 conspicuoiTS and impossible to miss in Ophisaurus, and their 

 arrangement is somewhat different from that which characterises 

 Anguis. 



It is fui-thermore to be noted that those veins which enter the 

 kidney more dorsally join in each case one of another series of 

 afferent renals. I counted three of these on the right side, which 

 emerge from the parietes very close to the dorsal middle line. 

 They are rather stouter vessels, and run over the dorsal surface 

 of the kidney nearly to the outer edge of that gland before 

 plunging into its substance. All these parieto-renal vessels 

 become lost in the substance of the kidney. There is no super- 

 ficially running trunk continuous with the caudal vein posteriorly 

 into which they open. Nor can they be traced into direct and 

 superficial connection with the efl^erent renal veins. 



Swpra-renal Portal Veins. — These important veins are naturally 

 referred to by Hochstetter, who has done so much towards the 

 elucidation of this as of other venous systems in the Lacertilia. I 



