668 ANATOMY OF THE MUZZLE OF ORN ITHOIiUYNCHUS, 



" It is noteworthy too that although the filaments are represented 

 in PI. XXVI. fig. 22 as black varicose threads, the authors accurately 

 state in the description (p. 200) that 'the fibrils are not black but 

 only highly refractory.'" Can it have escaped Mr. Poulton that 

 this figure and description are those of a haematoxylin specimen 

 and not of a gold-stained one? (Our fig. 12 gives the actual 

 photomicrograph itself.) 



In our gold preparations to which Mr. Poulton had just been 

 referring before making this quotation, the fibrils are, of course, 

 stained black, — or at least the darkest violet, — and stand out in 

 most striking contrast to everything except the nerve-fibres with 

 which they are directly continuous, as shown in our figs. 19 and 21, 

 for whose perfect accuracy we can vouch. 



It is, however, with some gratification that we are now able to 

 present a camera lucida drawing of a push-rod (fig. 1) from a 

 specimen impregnated by Golgi's silver method, which in the 

 fullest and most convincing manner corroborates our former 

 observations. Little in the way of further description seems 

 requisite as the figure speaks for itself in a quite unmistakable 

 fashion. From the leash of nerve fibres at the base of the rod, 

 stained axis-cylinders are seen to ascend and to enter the base or 

 basal part of the shaft of the rod, and then to be continued along 

 the shaft as members both of the more peripheral circlet and of the 

 axial group of fibres in the core of the organ. 8uch perfect 

 examples as that represented were indeed far from common. We 

 did not find that the tissue reacted at all freely towards this 

 highly selective but rather capricious stain. All the more welcome 

 were the few more favourable patches in which the impregnation 

 had turned out successfully. But everywhere, almost, one could 

 get at least partial reductions of silver showing varying lengths 

 of axis-cylinders and terminal fil)rils blackened in a precise and 

 selective manner. 



No one, we imagine, viewing the present figure, and not 

 absolutely mistrustful of the bona fides of the observers and the 

 draughtsman, can now refuse his consent to our previously 



