REMARKABLE SPECIES OF ECITTUROIDS. 41 



tall ciliated epitholiuni. For the rest the external surface is 

 covered with a Hat non-ciliated epithel iinii. The interior of the 

 body is Idled with a mass of irregularly shaped cells, which 

 mass inclose a number of brownish pigmented spheres. The 

 internal termination of the funnel could not be exactly deter- 

 mined. 



The above peculiar body is a thing which is by no means 

 satisfactorily known. Most of the earlier and some recent writers 

 have regarded it to be a parasitic organism, while some others, 

 f. i., Metalntkoff ('oo), have considered it to be a liberated part 

 of the worm-body. Although unable to offer decisive evidence, 

 T am certainly inclined to accept the latter view. 



The Proboscis. — The long tape-like proboscis in transverse 

 section presents a crescent-like shape, the concave side of which 

 is the ventral. 



The epidermis {figs. 43-45, ep.) is composed of a layer of 

 cylindrical cells with round nucleus situated nearly in the middle 

 and containing a distinct nucleolus beside numerous chromatic 

 granules. On the external surface the epidermis shows a very 

 thin cuticular layer and bears fine cilia on the ventral side of 

 the proboscis but not on the dorsal. Internally the epidermis 

 sits on a fine but sharp basal membrane (figs. 44, li.m.), the 

 cells being quite without the basal processes that we have seen 

 in the case of epidermal cells of the body proper. The epidermis 

 is thickest and the ciliation most conspicuous along the margin 

 of the ventral surface (see fig. 43). Peculiar to the epidermis 

 of the dorsal side is not only the absence of ciliation but also 

 the fact that there open through it numerous unicellular glands 

 (fig. A~). g.gl.) similar to those found in certain parts of the body 



