472 CM. Child. 



the ability to perform coordinated movements in these pieces 

 deprived of gangha. Of two pieces with anterior ends at the same 

 level the longer seems to show a slightly greater degree of coordina- 

 tion; it is sometimes able to advance more rapidly than the shorter 

 piece and in general appears to be less completely helpless. The 

 piece which has lost the greater posterior part of its body does not 

 make up for this loss by greater use of the regenerating part to any 

 such extent as does the piece with ganglia, but is simply more help- 

 less than the piece which has lost only a small part. Exceptions are 

 frequent but I think that a real difference does exist. It is neces- 

 sary to distinguish two factors here, viz: the power of motor 

 activity in general, i. e., the power of performing movements of 

 any kind, and the power of coordinate functional activity. The 

 smaller pieces usually appear to be more active than the larger 

 but their activity seems to be less perfectly coordinated and so 

 less effective as regards locomotion, etc. I am inclined to believe 

 that the greater activity of the smaller pieces is connected with the 

 loss of a large part of the body as is the case in similar pieces with 

 ganglia, while on the other hand the lack of ability to coordinate 

 is probably due to the small portion of the central nervous system 

 present. 



The question as to whether the pieces deprived of the cephalic 

 ganglia retain the power of "spontaneous" movement is some- 

 what difficult to answer, since no sharp distinction can be made 

 between spontaneous movements so-called and complex series of 

 movements following particular stimuli; indeed in my opinion no 

 distinction save one of degree exists. The pieces without cephalic 

 ganglia are certainly much less active than normal animals, react 

 more slowly and less strongly to stimuli and, as has been men- 

 tioned, are unable to a large extent to coordinate their muscular 

 movements. But even when apparently undisturbed such pieces 

 are often found moving slowly about and performing indefinite 

 muscular movements similar in character to those of normal 

 animals but not correlated. I am inclined to believe that the loss 

 of the cephalic ganglia means essentially the loss of the connections 

 with the principal sense organs, i. e.^ the organs for the reception 

 of stimuli, and the loss of a part of the more or less complex con- 



