174 The Alligator and Its Allies 
The smaller nuclei scattered among the larger 
ones, noted in connection with the hibernating 
stage, are not here seen. 
As in the hibernating stage cilia are present on 
some but not all cells of this region. 
The only noticeable difference between the feed- 
ing and hibernating conditions of the posterior 
region of the cesophagus is in the epithelium, 
which, as in the feeding condition of the anterior 
oesophagus, exhibits but one zone of closely set 
nuclei, that at the base of the epithelium. 
The Stomach. The stomach was sectioned in 
three regions, as shown in Figure 35: (1) in the 
cardiac region very near the opening of the ceso- 
phagus; (2) in the middle or fundic region; 
and (3) in the region near the opening of the 
pylorus. The first two sections are in the first or 
large region of the stomach; the third section is in 
the second or small region of the stomach (Fig. 
35): 
The wall as a whole is thickest in the fundus, be- 
ing there practically twice as thick as in the pyloric 
and half again as thick as in the cardiac region. 
This great thickening is due mainly to a thickening 
of the middle or oblique layer of muscle, which is 
here remarkably developed. The mucosa is of 
nearly uniform thickness in the different regions 
and will be described later. 
Since there is no striking difference beside that of 
thickness in the general structure of the wall of the 
