NO. 1816 



STORY OF THE DEVIL-FISH — GILL 



109 



turned back toward the branchise. Each being formed of a fold of 

 mucous membrane supported by a cartilage, these lamellae are 

 attached to the anterior surface of the branchial arches, in front of 

 the membranous and vascular folds of the respiratory organs; and 

 it is their position that has suggested the name of prebranchial ap- 

 pendages, by which they are designated by the Italian anatomist. 



"Thev do not serve for respiration. By means of injections, M. 

 Panceri has ascertained that they receive arterial vessels, like the 

 other organs, and not branches of the branchial artery." 



These organs are thought by Panceri (and Dumeril did not dis- 

 sent) to be "destined, on account of the remarkable size of the aper- 

 tures of the branchial chambers, the orifices of which are much 



J / ii' ( / 



^'^ ■■. im''''''''. . 



r .* f 



Fig. 53. — Anterior Hemibranch of the Fourth Left Pouch. 



a. Fourth branchial arch. 



b. Section of the special muscle of the branchial arch or adductor of the two 



ceratobranchial and epibranchial portions. 



c. Branchial lamellae. 



d. Prebranchial appendages. 



X. Fold of the mucosa which partly covers the branchial lamellae. 



smaller in the other Rays, to retain the water and prevent it from 

 traversing these cavities with a rapidity which would be injurious 

 to the perfect accomplishment of the act of hsematosis." 



A more probable use for these organs would be as strainers, sub- 

 serving thus the same function, or rather an analogous one, as that 

 of the gill-rakers of the giant Sharks. They would retain the small 

 organisms contained in the ingesta taken into the mouth, while the 



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