38 Bulletin of Laboratories of Denison University. [Voi. xiii 



The peripheral gustatory system has recently been worked 

 up both anatomically and physiologically in a number of fishes, 

 most thoroughly in the siluroids, or cat fishes (Judson Herrick, 

 'oi and '04), From the paper last cited we copy the accom- 

 panying figure (Fig. i), which gives the peripheral distribution 

 of the cutaneous branches of the communis root of the facial 

 nerve to supply the taste buds in the outer skin, in the horned 

 pout, Ameiurus. 



Fig. I. A projection of the cutaneous branches of the communis root of the 

 right facial nerve in Ameiurus milas, Jordan and Cope. Natural size. 



The branches of this nerve which supply taste buds within the mouth are not 

 drawn. All of the, branches shown are gustatory in function. From the ^mA 

 letin of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1902 (Judson Hekrick, '04). 



The general form of these buds of Ameiurus and their re- 

 lations to the skin are shown in Figure 2. Practically all parts 

 of the skin in these fishes are provided with taste buds supplied 

 by this root, these same areas receiving also general cutaneous 

 nerves for tactile sensation from other nerve roots, and the 

 barblets being especially richly supplied with both sorts of nerve 

 endings. 



It has been determined by an experimental study of a series 

 of both fresh water and marine fishes (Judson Herrick, '04) 

 that the cutaneous communis nerves are gustatory in function 

 and that this function is absent from the skin in species where 

 these nerves and their sense organs are not developed. When 

 edible substances or sapid solutions were brought in contact 

 with these cutaneous sense organs the fishes would react by the 



