51 



„the distal portion of the epiphyse being, as in Anguis modified 

 „to form an eye; but this, unUke that in the latter, is provided 

 „with a well-marked nerve. 



„The eye is enclosed in a capsule of connective tissue ^); ante- 

 „riorly a lens is present, composed of cells whose nuclei are very 

 „distinct. The lens forms the anterior boundary of a vesicle, the 

 „walls of which are formed from within outwards of the foUowing 

 „layers: 



„(4) a layer which is not well marked^), and which may possibly 

 „be due to the shrinkage and clinging to the walls of the contents of 

 „the vesicle, tluid in life; (2) a layer of rods embedded in dark 

 „brown pigment, the pigment being specially developed anteriorly; 

 „(3) a doublé or even triple row of nuclei; (4) a clear layer which 

 „scarcely takes stain, and may be called the molecular; and (5) 

 „an outer layer of nuclei two or three rows deep. Posteriorly a nerve 

 „enters the eye, the fibres spreading round behind the vesicle; the 

 „rods may be observed giving off processes from their external ends, 

 „which in some cases appear to pass right through the layers (3), 

 „(4), and (5), and in others to be connected in their passage with 

 „the nuclei of these layers. The capsule containing the eye is füled 

 „posteriorly with connective tissue, in which breaks up and ramifies 

 „a blood-vessel which enters along with the nerve. The eye is single 

 „and lies exactly in the median line. A depression of the skin of the 

 „head occurs immediately over the parietal foramen, but does not 

 „lead down into this, which is filled up bij a plug of connective 

 „tissue, specially dense around the eye capsule. The nerve is single, 

 „and leads downwards and backwards in the median line, being 



') Deze kapsel wordt door de pia mater geleverd (zie onderzoek). 

 -) Bi] Anguis fragilis bestaat deze laag uit elementen , die aan de staafjes der 

 retina doen denken (zie onderzoek). 



