358 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



fatty degeneration had taken place. Smaller detached 

 nodules of thymic tissue lay along the roots of the 

 carotid arteries, and some larger masses are represented 

 on the course of those vessels and on the internal surface 

 of the left external jugular. Such portions of thymus 

 tissue detached from the main gland, and lying in various 

 positions in the neck or in close association with the 

 thyroid, are of frequent occurrence in many mammals, 

 and probably have no special morphological significance. 



ACROBATES. 



From a first examination it appeared that, contrary to 

 expectation, the cervical thymus was absent in this 

 animal. When the skin was divided in the middle line 

 of the neck and reflected outwards, two large, paired, 

 glandular masses were seen lying in the angle formed by 

 the flexure of the head, in contact with each other by 

 their internal surfaces, one slightly overlapping the other. 

 Each of these was oval in shape, the transverse diameter 

 was the longer, and measured about 8 mm. They were 

 separated from the parotid glands, which occupied their 

 usual positions, by the external jugular veins. On dissect- 

 ing away these structures two other paired glandular 

 masses were seen lying underneath, each about half the 

 size of the more superficial mass and darker in 

 appearance. 



Closer examination showed that each of the two super- 

 ficial glands was compound in nature ; a very slight groove 

 separated it into inner and outer portions. The inner 

 portion was about one-third the isize of the outer, and was 

 paler in colour. The compound gland was hardened and 

 sections were made. Sections were also made of the 

 underlying lobes and of the parotid glands. 



