396 REPTILIA. 



being a large bag with two lateral portions lapping round the right and 

 left of the ventricle. The lowest of these, or what would be called the 

 anterior in the human, is divided into a vast number of processes which 

 come round the ventricle like fingers. The ventricle is one cavity as in 

 fish, is more regular in its shape, and is like that of a' snake. Its apex 

 adheres to the pericardium by a pretty strong adhesion, as in the turtle, 

 &c. The aorta pulrno-branchialis at its origin, and while one trunk, as 

 also in its first division, is similar to the [branchial artery of the] fish. 

 It goes out from the anterior or upper edge of the ventricle, and after 

 passing a little way in a loose spiral turn, becomes straight, where it 

 seems to be muscular. At this part the branches go off, somewhat as 

 in the branchial artery in fish ; or it rather divides into six branches, 

 viz. three on each side, going to the gills ; at this part, and within the 

 area of the artery, there is a rising like a bird's tongue, with the tip 

 turned towards the heart 1 . 



These three arteries on each side pass outwards, towards the three 

 lateral slits of the gills ; one passing along the partition of each slit, 

 and getting to the basis of one of the three fimbriated gills, which it 

 enters and ramifies in. I believe a branch goes off from the lowermost, 

 which is bent down, enters the chest, and forms the pulmonary artery. 

 These arteries of the fimbriated gills open into converging vessels or 

 veins, which afterwards become arteries. These pass back in a contrary 

 direction to the arteries, as also principally on the back of the gills, 

 and form themselves into one trunk, which passes inwards towards the 

 fore-part of the spine ; from thence go out the different arteries to the 

 other parts of the body, as in the fish. One trunk goes to the head, 

 and divides on the basis of the skull ; the larger trunk goes down the 

 back, coming nearer and nearer to the middle of the spine, and unites 

 with the similar branch on the other side, forming one trunk which 

 passes down the back to supply the body and viscera. The hepatic 

 artery arises from the large trunk as high as the heart, and passes down 

 loose to the liver. 



Of the Veins that enter the Heart. — At the lower part of the heart, 

 where the inferior vena cava enters in the quadruped, there is a swell 

 or bag in the vein answering to it, like an auricle, into which the 

 whole veins of the body enter before they open into the auricle. 

 There are two venae cavse superiores, on each side passing down to this 

 cavity. The inferior vena cava passes up to it, as also the two pul- 

 monary veins 2 . 



1 [Hunt. Preps. Phys. Series, Nos. 912, 913.] 



- [In the abstract from these notes, printed in the ' Philosophical Transactions 



