670 ANATOMY OF THE MUZZLE OF ORNITHORHYSCHUS, 



a somewhat ladder-like appeai'ance of lines whose ])lurred outlines 

 testified to the indefinite and less highly selective character of the 

 reduction in such patches. This appearance is never to be seen 

 in silver-impregnated nor indeed in any other kind of specimen, 

 but it assists us in interpreting the seeming varicosity of the 

 nerve-fibrils. 



We have satisfied ourselves by careful re-examination of our 

 haematoxylin preparation of the isolated fibrils that the beaded 

 contour indicated in the photomicrograph is not merely an out-of- 

 focus representation of the minutely sinuous outline seen in the 

 Golgi, and we may add also in good haematoxylin sections (vertical) 

 of the push-rods, and Ave are therefore convinced that we have 

 given above the correct interpretation of the somewhat moniliform 

 contour of the fibrils exhibited in some kinds of preparations. 



Another point to which we may here refer is the absence from 

 the preparation represented in fig. 1 of any evidence of branching 

 of the axis-cylinders in the liase of the rod. But that such 

 branchings do occur our gold-preparations testify, so that there 

 are a greater number of fibrils in the rod than there are nerve- 

 fibres entering it. As we formerly stated the subdivision of the 

 axis-cylinder occurs in the basal part of the rod just at the point 

 where the medullated sheath is lost. 



The figure further illustrates the connection of axis-cylinders 

 with the Pacinian-like corpuscles, and shows in addition that 

 other bundles of fibres extend up into the dermal papillae. After 

 giving off some fibres to the rod as shown in the figure these 

 terminate in the papilla? giving off end branches, of which some 

 at least enter the neighbouring epidermis. 



We were unsuccessful in demonstrating the " nervous character 

 and connections " of the lenticular bodies formerly described by 

 us as lying in the base of the push-rod. 



Gold-pi-eparations, however, give indubitable testimony in support 

 of our former statements in regard to them, and the examination 

 of fresh preparations impregnated with methyl blue by Apathy's 



