The Vascular System 207 
f, the chief vein of the posterior appendage. 
After receiving small branches from the muscles 
of the thigh, the femoral receives near the knee 
a small branch from the posterior surface of the 
lower leg, fb, and a larger one, t, that leads from 
the anterior surface of the lower leg and foot. 
The veins of the pes were so small, in the com- 
paratively small animals it was necessary to use, 
that their distribution could not be determined with 
certainty, though they seemed to parallel very closely 
their corresponding arteries to be described below. 
A short distance caudad to the iliac veins, each 
epigastric receives one or two fairly large branches 
from the pelvic region, called by Bronn the tschiadic 
veins, is. Caudad to the ischiadics and dorsal 
to the cloaca, each epigastric is united with a short 
but wide renal portal or renal advehente vein, rp, 
leading to the posterior border of its respective 
kidney and receiving, on the way, a short branch 
from the pelvic region, shown just cephalad to 
the reference lines rt and rp. 
Very close to its junction with the renal portals 
each epigastric gives off a small branch which 
unites with its fellow of the opposite side to form 
a median vein, rt, the rectal leading from the 
posterior part of the large intestine. A very short 
distance caudal to these last veins, in the region 
just dorsal to the anal opening, the epigastrics 
are formed by the division of the caudal vein, cv, 
which, of course, brings blood from the tail and is, 
