15 



opening into the intestine in front of the second pair of 

 feet. 



The intestine is the direct continiiatiou of the stomach. 

 Jt commences in front of the second pair of feet, and 

 passes through the thoracic and g-enital seg-ments into the 

 abdomen. It M'idens slightly behind its junction with 

 the stomach, and then contracts as it passes through the 

 fourth thoracic segment. It expands again in the genital 

 segment, and contracts as it enters the abdomen. It 

 terminates in a short rectum leading into the anus at the 

 apex of the abdomen. There are no convolutions in this 

 alimentary canal. 



The intestine at its anterior end lies on the ventral 

 surface of the animal. In the centre where it passes 

 through the genital segment, it courses along the dorsal 

 surface. It bends down as it a})proaches the abdomen, 

 and occupies the centre of that part of the body. In 

 transverse sections of a mature female the stomach is 

 triangulai' in shape, with the apex pointing dorsally. The 

 intestine in the genital segment is also triangular in 

 transverse section, but the apex is directed ventrally. In 

 immature females the stomach and intestine are of almost 

 circular outline when cut transversely, so that the 

 alimentary canal is considerably compressed when the 

 reproductive organs arrive at maturity. 



The wall of the whole alimentary canal is lined with a 

 thin layer of cliitin continuous with the exterior. In 

 many places it is consideiably broken up, giving it the 

 appearance of fine striation. Vnderneath the chitin is a 

 layer of nucleated cells, which extends from the jjosterior 

 portion of the oesophagus to the rectum. There does not 

 appear to be any marked regional differentiation in the 

 cells. The lining of the stomach and intestine is thrown 

 into a number of longitudinal folds (Plate III.,lig. 11), the 



