No: T.] EPITBELLSOM OR MUSTELOS CANTS, 73 
nerve fibers through the network of capillaries, particularly at 
the edges of the crista, where the capillaries were less numer- 
ous and the outlines of the corpuscles could be clearly distin- 
guished. It was apparent that deeply stained granules (Figs. 
1-3, 5) in the corpuscles resembled the varicosities so closely 
as to be easily mistaken for them when they were closely 
crowded together. 
The nerve fibers generally divided dichotomously, rarely into 
three branches. At the point of division or separation of the 
fibers, triangular enlargements were sometimes observed (Figs. 
2, 8, 22), as has been so frequently noted by Retzius and many 
others. These enlargements were found to be due to the nerve 
sheath, which appeared to be stretched at this point (Figs. 2, 
22). In many cases the nerve fibers could be distinctly seen 
through the walls of the sheath, and were easily followed. 
The nerves branched at different levels, as observed by 
Retzius, but were much more numerous at the base of the hair 
cells, as stated by Lenhossék, than at other points. Horizontal 
branches were very common at the base of the hair cells, and 
from them branches arose, which either ended in the character- 
istic enlargements in contact with the basal portions of the 
cells, or passed between them to end free near the surface in 
similar but smaller enlargements. In some cases the branch- 
ing fibers were so numerous as to appear to form anastomoses, 
but closer examination failed to demonstrate them (Figs. 1-4). 
A few nerve fibers were noticed which extended backward from 
the surface (Figs. 4, 6, 8). In other cases the fibers extended 
horizontally for a long distance in the middle portion of the 
epithelium (Figs. 2, 6). 
Varicosities were very rarely seen in well stained preparations 
and when seen, as observed by Ayers ('93), there was no increase 
in the size of the nerve fiber. They appeared to be due to a 
semitransparent, faintly stained sheath (Fig. 22). 
The lower or supporting cells, of which there were several 
layers, were not figured, the whole epithelium being represented 
in the drawings by a wash of yellow corresponding to the color 
produced by the picrate of ammonia. Only a few of the hair 
cells were drawn to show their relation to the nerve fibers. The 
