To investigate whether the cervical sympathetics contains specific secretory fibers for the salivary glands, reflex salivation was evoked and the role of the sympathetics or the reflex was examined in ketamine-anesthetized cat. Stimulation of the central end of the glossopharyngeal nerve produced a copious secretion from the submaxillary gland and the response was not affected by the section of the cervical sympathetics or by the administration of phenoxybenzamine, whereas the response was abolished by severing the chorda tympani or by the administration of atropine. The salivary response was always associated with an increase in glandular blood flow. Both salivary and blood flow responses were decreased markedly by the superimposed stimulation of the cervical sympathetics or by the administration of norepinephrine. The decreased submaxillary blood flow always preceded the decrease in salivary flow on stimulation of the cervical sympathetics and the decreased blood flow recovered prior to the salivary flow upon cessation of the sympathetic stimulation. The inhibitory effects of the sympathetics and norepinephrine were completely abolished by the pretreatment with phenoxybenzamine. These results indicate that the glossopharyngeal nerve is one of the afferent limbs of the submaxillary salivary reflex and the chorda tympani is the only efferent limb of the reflex pathway. Thus, it is suggested that the cervical sympathetics does not contain the specific secretory fibers for the gland, but plays a role in inhibiting the reflex secretion by decreasing the blood flow to the gland.