ALIMENTARY CANAL 



I I 



always pregnant, contains embryos of different ages, and births 

 probably take place all the year round. 



In all species of Peripatus the young are fully formed at 

 birth, and differ from the adults only in size and colour. 



ANATOMY 

 The Alimentary Canal (Fig. 8). 



The buccal cavity, as explained above, is a secondary forma- 

 tion around the true mouth, which is at its dorsal posterior end. 

 It contains the tongue and the jaws, which have already been 



FIG. 8. Peripatus capensis dissected so as to show 

 the alimentary canal, slime glands, and salivary 

 glands. (After Balfour.) The dissection is viewed 

 from the ventral side, and the lips (L) have been 

 cut through in the middle line behind and pulled 

 outwards so as to expose the jaws (j), which have 

 been turned outwards, and the tongue (T) bearing 

 a median row of chitinous teeth, which branches 

 behind into two. The muscular pharynx, extend- 

 ing back into the space between the first and second 

 pairs of legs, is followed by a short tubular oeso- 

 phagus. The latter opens into the large stomach with 

 plicated walls, extending almost to the hind end of 

 the animal. The stomach at its point of junc- 

 tion with the rectum presents an S' s haped ventro- 

 dorsal curve. A, Anus; at, antenna; F.I, F.2, 

 first and second feet ; j, jaws ; Z, lips ; oe, 

 oesophagus ; or.p, oral papilla ; ph, pharynx ; R, 

 rectum ; s.d, salivary duct ; s.g, salivary gland ; 

 sl.d, slime reservoir ; sl.g, portion of tubules of 

 slime gland ; st, stomach ; T, tongue in roof of 

 mouth. 



described, and into the hind end of it there opens vent rally by a 

 median opening the salivary glands (s.g}. The mouth leads into 

 a muscular pharynx (/>/0, which is connected by a short oeso- 

 phagus (oe) with a stomach (st). The stomach, forms by far the 



