184 The Alligator and Its Allies 
ing stage, the mucosa is relatively the thickest in 
the anterior regions and diminishes in thickness 
tp — 
Fic. 50. Part of the mucous mem- 
brane of the anterior region of the small 
intestine of the hibernating animal, under 
high magnification. The upper part of 
the figure shows a part of a gland cut 
longitudinally, the lower part of the figure 
shows another gland cut transversely; 
e, epithelium; ¢p, tunica propria. 
caudad; but while, 
in the hibernating 
stage, it forms, in 
the anterior region, 
as much as half of 
the entire thickness 
of the wall, in the 
feeding condition it 
forms, in the same 
region, at least two 
thirds of the entire 
wall and in the mid- 
dle and posterior 
regions more than 
half of the wall. 
The feeding ani- 
mals being the smal- 
ler, the diameter of 
the intestine was 
considerably less 
than in the hiber- 
nating stage; but 
the actual thickness 
of the mucosa was practically the same, so that 
the difference in diameter was due to the difference 
in the thickness of the muscular and fibrous layers. 
It is therefore probable that the differences noted 
above are due rather to the differences in the size 
