LUCE UNA HI Ji] AND T II E I U ALLIES; 1()3 



The fibrillae vary somewhat in their proportions ; some being very slender and 

 thread-like, and others more or less fusiform and irreijularlv nucleated or "rami- 

 lated. They all run out into exceedingly thin intinitesimal points, or at least two 

 opposite sides, and some have three or even four such prolongations (1 r''). Their 

 anastomoses do not seem to be formed by actual organic fusion, so as to obliterate 

 their lines of contact, but are mere approximations resulting in a niechani(^al adlie- 

 sion of contiguous surfaces. The general trend of the librilhe is parallelwise with 

 the axis of the muscle, but it is slightly modified by the lateral anastomoses. 



199- (A). That the spheroidal cells are intimately connected with tlie fibrilUe 

 would seem to be incontestable after an inspection of onr illustration ; and even 

 more, than that, for so closely wrapped are they, frequently (2 r') by the anasto- 

 mosis of neighboring fibril-cells, that tliey have almost led us into the belief that 

 they are the nucleolated, gigantic nuclei of the latter. The common occurrence 

 of fibril-cells without such encumbrances (?•■*), and the high improbability of the 

 existence of nuclei of such large proportions and complicated structure, prevented 

 us from entertaining the idea after serious consideration. We may add, also, that 

 in other parts, e.g., in the tentacles, where the fibrillar have been made subjects of 

 a special investigation, there is not a trace of such cells (^[ '204). Not only are 

 the spheroidal cells themselves very conspicuous, but also the single ijucleus 

 ((/') of each. The latter is, moreover, very large, and frequently fills more than 

 one-third of the diameter of the cell. Its outline is as distinct as that of the latter, 

 and less transparency renders it a rather more [jromineut object. 



200. The gastropJirarjma of the umbella and peduncle (5[ '^5). In the digestive 

 chamber proper the cells of this layer differ very little in charact(>r froui those of the 

 ectopliragma, and that is not so mucli in themselves as in the intercellular blastema, 

 which is nearly barren of pigment granules. There is, however, a much wider 

 range in size and proportion among those of the gastrophragma, though they 

 remain, as everywhere else, in a single Ktratum. Only the greater ])art of the inte- 

 rior the cells (fgs. 74, 77, *) are like those of the ectopliragma in breadth and 

 depth, but at certain points they depart greatly from this, viz., at the entrance to 

 the cavity of the anchors they ra[)idly tliin down to mere scales, like epithelium 

 {fig. 94, C), and their large, dark, irregular nucleus {fig. 95, cV) dwindles in 

 size and intensity of color. In the jm'( J iciicle {Jig. 105) we find the reverse, usually, 

 and especially where irregular passage-ways are being formed by tlu^ resorption of 

 the chondrophys (c^) between the four camerse, and the development of the gastro- 

 phragma (B, C') as a lining. Here the colls have a depth more than double their 

 breadth, and the nucleus (_////. 105, (/') appears again very large from a great accu- 

 nnilation of pigment matter about it. We find here, also, as in the ectophragma 

 and opsophragma, that the nucleus adheres to the side of the cell, but near its 

 attached rather than its free end. The cells, moreover, have an exceeding bril- 

 liancy, an illumined look ; no doubt owing, in part, to their freedom from intercel- 

 lular pigment, and in a measure to the strong contrast produced by the intense, 

 dark, highly refracting nucleus, in the homogeneous contents, of a shigular vitreous 

 transparency. On the genitalia they are, sometimes at least, several times deeper 

 than broad {fig. 109, d'), and the nucleus (</') is small and transparent. They 



