350 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. (VoL. XXXIX. 
terior connections of the lateral veins. The importance of a 
complete knowledge of the details of skate anatomy is increased 
by the fact that the skate is, in some respects, so peculiarly 
adapted for use in the laboratory work of classes in comparative 
anatomy. In another paper (Rand, :05) attention has been 
called to the advantages of the skate for this purpose, where also 
methods of injecting the blood vessels are discussed. 
The first complete description of the connections of the lat- 
eral vein of the skate is that given by T. J. Parker in his paper 
“On the Venous System of the Skate (Raya nasuta)” in 1881. 
Previous to Parker's description these veins had been imper- 
fectly described by several anatomists. Monro (:85) observed 
the lateral veins in skates, but did not determine their posterior 
extent and connections. Robin (45) gave an incomplete and 
not very clear account of the lateral veins of Raza clavata L., 
R. rubus L., and R. batis L., but at first regarded them as lym- 
phatic vessels. He described the two lateral vessels as inoscu- 
lating at their posterior ends. He afterwards recognized the 
true nature of the vessels. 
Parker ('81) gave a complete and clear account of the chief 
veins of Raza nasuta. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the con- 
nections of the important vessels as represented in the figure 
accompanying Parker's paper. A similar figure is given in his 
Zootomy ('95, p. 53). According to Parker's account, the lat- 
eral vein (vz. 7), having received the several brachial veins, 
opens anteriorly into the precaval sinus. Throughout its extent 
along the lateral wall of the abdominal cavity, the lateral vessel 
receives veins from the abdominal walls. The nomenclature 
used above is not that of the paper cited, but corresponds to 
that of Parker's later paper (’86) on the blood vessels of Muste- 
lus antarcticus. Posteriorly it receives the femoral vein and just 
back of that point becomes continuous with a large trunk which 
* passes dorsalwards, .... curving along the posterior wall of the 
pelvic cavity, then passing on to the lateral wall of the cloaca, 
along which it takes its course as far as to the rectal gland, 
where, with its fellow of the opposite side, it enters a hinder 
prolongation of the cardinal sinus, first receiving numerous small 
veins from the cloaca and rectum” (Parker, '81, pp. 415-416). 
