510 THE RABBIT chap. 



(pp. 438 and 85). A pair of internal iliac veins (i. il. v) in the 

 pelvic cavity unite to join a median vessel (c. il. v), the 

 hinder end of the postcaval, which receives on either side 

 an external iliac (e. il. v), constituted by — a femoral vein 

 {fm. v) from the hind-limb ; a posterior epigastric {p. epg), 

 from the ventral walls of the abdomen, entering the femoral 

 just external to Poupart's ligament ; and by small veins from 

 the bladder as well as from the uterus in the female. 

 Slightly in front of the external iliacs the postcaval receives 

 a pair of large ilio-lumbar veins {i. I) from the body-walls : 

 the left ilio-lumbar sometimes runs forwards to open into the 

 corresponding renal vein. Rather more anteriorly still are 

 a pair of spermatic (spni) or ovarian veins, and a large renal 

 vein (r) enters the postcaval from each kidney. As the 

 postcaval passes through the dorsal border of the liver, it 

 receives several large hepatic veins (Figs. 127 and 130, h. i) 

 from the lobes of that organ. Other small veins from the 

 body-walls and from the posterior surface of the diaphragm 

 also open into the postcaval, which then passes through the 

 central tendon of the diaphragm and runs forward in the 

 mediastinal space (Fig. 128, pt. cav) to open into the right 

 auricle. 



The hepatic portal vein (Fig. 127, /. v) is a large vessel 

 situated in the mesentery, ventral to the postcaval. An- 

 teriorly it passes into and divides up in the liver, sending a 

 branch to each lobe : posteriorly it is constituted by a large 

 anterior mesenteric vein (m. v) returning the blood from the 

 small intestine, colon, and caecum, and by smaller veins 

 from the stomach, spleen, and duodenum, as well as by a 

 posterior mesenteric vein {p. m. v) from the rectum. 



The pulmonary veins have already been described (p. 505). In the 

 freshly-killed animal a number of the delicate, transparent, lymphatic 

 vessels (p. 97) can be made out, those from the intestine (lacfeals) 



