164 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHICK 



formed, but they rapidly become well differentiated. 



IV. The Organs of Special Sense (Eye, Ear, Nose) 



Embryologically a sharp distinction must be drawn between 

 the essential percipient part of the organs of sense (retina of the 

 eye, olfactory epithelium, and epithelium of the membranous laby- 

 rinth) and the parts formed for protection and for the elaboration 

 of function. The sensory part proper is the first to arise in the 

 embryo, and is protected later by modifications of surrounding 

 tissues or parts. We may thus distinguish between primary and 

 secondary parts in the case of all organs of sense. Only the early 

 history of the primary parts falls within the period covered by 

 this chapter, except the formation of the lens in the case of the 

 eye. 



The Eye. The primary optic vesicles arise, as we have seen, 

 as lateral expansions of the anterior end of the neural tube; 

 their position is indicated by an enlargement of the neural tube 

 even before the meeting of the medullary folds in this region. 

 The shape and relations of the early optic vesicles have already 

 been described and figured. The cavity may be called the Ven- 

 triculus opticus. The origin of the optic stalk by constriction 

 of the base of the vesicle was described in a preceding section 

 of this chapter (p. 149). The stalks remain attached to the 

 ventral end of the lateral walls of the diencephalon in the region 

 of the recessus opticus, and constitute tubular connections between 

 the vesicles and the brain, in the walls of which the optic nerve 

 develops later (Fig. 84). 



Locy found six pairs of " accessory optic vesicles " occurring in series 

 immediately behind the true optic vesicles; they form low rounded 

 swellings of the side-walls of the neural folds before the true brain 

 vesicles are indicated, and last only about three hours in the chick 

 (twenty-fourth to twenty-seventh hours of incubation). "Their exist- 

 ence supports the hypothesis that the vertebrate eyes are segmental, and 

 that the ancestors of vertebrates were primitive)}' multiple-e3'ed.'' (Locy.) 



The external surface of the optic vesicle early reaches the 

 ectoderm, to which it appears to be cemented at the 10 s stage. 

 In the 17-18 s stage, the optic vesicles project decidedly behind 

 the attachment of the optic stalk, and the external wall is slightly 

 thicker than that next the brain. . The ectoderm then becomes 

 thickened over a circular area in contact with the optic vesicle 



