164 Edward Phelps AUis jr., 



arises from the anastomosis of two nerves, one having its origin from 

 the facialis and the other being a branch of a supratemporal branch 

 of the glossopharyngeus or vagus, I could not definitely determine 

 which. The nerve that has its origin from the facialis runs backward 

 internal to the hyomandibular, closely accompanying, and partly 

 anastomosed with, the ramus opercularis facialis, and would seem to 

 be a part of that nerve. The nerve with which is anastomoses would 

 then probably be the glossopharyngeus, for Clorono witsch (No. 15a, 

 p. 46) has recorded the anastomosis of the opercularis facialis with 

 a branch of the glossopharyngeus in both Lota and Esox. The nerve 

 resulting from this anastomosis, in Conger, turns backward and out- 

 ward around the hind edge of the hyomandibular, dorsal to its oper- 

 cular head. There it sends a large branch backward and downward 

 in the subcutaneous tissues of the gill-cover, another large branch 

 passing outward around the hind edge of the adductor mandibulae 

 muscle and then forward along the outer surface of that muscle, where 

 it sends certain branches to the general tissues and one to the line 

 of sense organs here under consideration. These organs, so far as 

 my work shows, may accordingly be innervated either by the facialis, 

 or by the glossopharyngeus or vagus; and, in so far as their general 

 appearance is concerned, they might belong either to the category of 

 pit-organs or to that of terminal buds, though probably to the former. 

 If they be pit-organs it is practically certain that they cannot be 

 innervated by the facialis, for there is no single instance that I know 

 of, of lateral sensory fibres accompanying the ramus opercularis of 

 that nerve. 



The vertical portion of the line of sense organs is innervated 

 by a branch of a relatively large nerve that issues through a small 

 foramen on the outer surface of the hyomandibular, and that is a 

 branch of the truncus hyoideo-mandibularis facialis. Having issued 

 from its foramen, it runs downward and forward along the outer 

 surface of the hyomandibular, and then pierces the adductor mandibulae 

 muscle and issues on its outer surface. There it separates into two 

 parts, the larger one of which runs forward, passes internal to the 

 postorbital portion of the infraorbital canal and, running forward below 



