EEL-SHAPED SIREN. 



605 



the branches go off, between which there is a 

 rising within the area of the aorta, like a bird's 

 tongue, with its tip turned towards the heart*. 



The liver is principally one lobe, pretty close 

 to the heart at the fore part, and passes back on 

 the right of the stomach and intestines ; at its an- 

 terior extremity on the left side, there is a very 

 short lobe ending abruptly. The gall-bladder lies 

 in a fissure on the left side of the liver near its 

 middle : there is no hepatic duct : the hepato- 

 cystic ducts, which seem to be three in number, 

 enter the gall-bladder at its anterior end or fun- 

 dus, and the cystic duct passes out from the pos- 

 terior end of the gall-bladder, and terminates in 

 the gut, about half an inch from the pylorus. 

 The oesophagus, which is pretty large, passes back, 

 and is continued into the stomach in the same 

 line. The stomach at the posterior end bends a 

 little to the right, where it terminates in the py- 

 lorus. The intestines pass back, making many 

 turns : at the posterior end they become pretty 



* This account of the venae cava? opening into the cavity of the 

 pericardium may appear incredible ; and it might be supposed, 

 that in the natural state of the parts, there is a canal of commu- 

 nication going from one cava to the other, which being broken or 

 nipt through in the act of catching or killing the animal, would 

 give the appearance above described. I can onl}^ say, that the 

 appearances were what have been described, in three different 

 subjects which I have dissected ; and in all of them the pericar- 

 dium was full of coagulated blood. But, besides the smailness of 

 the subjects, it may be observed that they had been lopg pre- 

 served in spirits, which made them more unfit for anatomical en- 

 quiries. They had been in my possession above seven years. 



