120 ON THE ANATOMY OF HELODERMA. [Jan. 20j 



e. g. Varanus. The length of the continuation of the bronchus 

 through lung-substance is 55 mm. 



The lung is 173 mm. long, the thin-walled rounded posterior end 

 is the larger ; anteriorly the lung terminates in a blunt point. 

 Dr. Shufeldt points out that in Heloderma the bronchi are long, 

 but that Prof. Mivart states that they are short in LacertiUa. May 

 not this discrepancy be due to the latter anatomist having measured 

 from the bifurcation to the point of their entrance into the lungs, 

 whilst Dr. Shufeldt included the prolongation into lung-substance ? 



Kidneys.— -li the kidneys of the large female H. horridum be 

 compared with those of the somewhat small specimen of male 

 H. suspectum, one is struck by the relative small size and more 

 numerous lobulation of those of the former. They also show a marked 

 distinction into an oval anterior region, and a tail-like posterior 

 prolongation formed of from four to six small lobules closely adherent 

 to the ureter. In H. suspectum the kidney gradually tapers to the 

 posterior extremity. The length of the fore part of the kidney in 

 H. horridum was 35 mm. ; its breadth 15 mm. ; the tail-region 15 

 mm. long. 



In the large male H. suspectum the kidney was 70 mm. long and 

 16 broad. 



Genitalia. — The genitalia of the male H. suspectum presented the 

 ordinary Lacertilian features. The dorsal wall of the cloaca was 

 provided with a couple of anal glands, whilst a belt of similar 

 though smaller glands surrounded the ventral half of its circum- 

 ference. 



The female H. suspectum was much the smaller of the three 

 examples of the genus examined. In it the left ovary contained two 

 nearly ripe ova, the right ovary three ; the largest ovum measured 

 24 mm. by 21 mm. 



Inferior labial Poison-glands. — The most interesting feature in 

 the anatomy of Heloderma is probably the poison-apparatus figured 

 and described by Fischer and Shufeldt. These both agree in stating 

 that from the surface of each " submaxillary gland " nearest the lower 

 jaw proceed from four to five ducts which pass into the sabstance 

 of the jaw, and finally discharge the secretion of the gland at the 

 bases of certain of the grooved teeth. This view of the structure I 

 hold to be incorrect, and believe that the gland and its ducts are 

 altogether external to the jaw ; that the ducts pass directly from the 

 substance of the gland to their openings, which are situated to the 

 inner side of a fold of mucous membrane which intervenes between 

 the lip and the jaw. In H. horridum I only found one opening 

 on either side, a guarded bristle could readily be passed through this 

 into the upper of the three chief lobes of the gland j and on injecting 

 the substance of either lobe by means of a hypodermic syringe, the 

 fluid escaped by this orifice alone. 



When the gland of H. suspectum was similarly treated, the fluid 

 in like manner freely flowed from all the four or five openings on 

 the mucous surface, without a trace passing into the supposed ducts 

 which went to the jaw, these being in my opinion only the branches 



