392 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. . (Vor. XXXIX. 
in which, however, it was the left cardinal that was hypertro- 
phied. In another case (also S. maculosa) described by Joseph, 
there were two abnormally large, symmetrical veins on the ven- 
tral surface of the liver, one on each side of the suspensory 
ligament. (Normally, according to Hochstetter, there is but one 
large hepatic vein, which is in the left half of the liver.) They 
ended separately in the venous sinus, which was, in his opinion, 
the enlarged end of theleft vein. The right vein he found con- 
tinuous with the postcava within the liver. According to his 
description and figures, the postcava entered the dorsal surface 
of the posterior end of the liver, passed forward through the 
liver substance, as it does normally, then became continuous 
with the right superficial vein ventrally, near the junction of the 
anterior and middle thirds of the liver. 
The following anomaly was observed in the veins of a speci- 
men of JVecturus maculatus injected for dissection of the vascular 
system. The work was done in connection with the course on 
comparative anatomy given by Dr. H. W. Rand at Harvard 
University. Although annually for some years past many of 
these amphibians have been used for dissection and injection, no 
similar condition has been noted. This case is of interest, not 
only on account of its rarity and the profound alterations involv- 
ing the chief veins of the body, but also because it is, so far as 
I know, the first instance of the kind observed in Necturus. 
Moreover, it differs markedly from all similar cases previously 
reported. Before giving an account of this abnormal condition, 
it may be well to describe briefly the normal arrangement of the 
corresponding veins. 
The postcava (Fig. 1) begins as a median trunk lying between 
the kidneys; passes anteriad ventral to the aorta, which it leaves 
at a point near the posterior border of the liver ; bends ventrad 
to enter the dorsal surface of the posterior end of the liver, 
through which it passes anteriad and within which it receives 
the hepatic veins ; emerges on the ventral surface of the ante- 
rior end of the liver ; bifurcates, then reunites and ends in (or 
rather is continuous with) the venous sinus at the point where. 
the ducts of Cuvier enter laterally. The right and left posterior 
cardinals arise from the convexity of the bend in the postcava 
