Sargent, Giant Ganglion Cells of Ctenolabrus. 189 



from the cell abruptly as the stem from a pear, or the cell may 

 gradually taper out into the axis-cylinder. In their variation 

 in form the cells may approach the oval, the conical, the dis- 

 coid, club-shape, or they may be irregular. One interesting 

 variation in form assumed is shown in Fig. 4 e, where the cell 

 is apparently drawn out into two parts. Every gradation may 

 be observed from the gradually tapering cell {b) through forms 

 like d and c, to the apparently double cell e. 



Numerous dendrites are given off from the cells, varying 

 from the finest filaments to processes of considerable size. They 

 are given off most freely from the dorsal part of the cell, and 

 as a rule do not greatly influence the outline, but particularly 

 in the anterior bilaterally placed cells they are occasionally so 

 large as to give the cell a multipolar appearance. These den- 

 drites branching freely pass through the open space of the 

 capsule surrounding the cell (Fig. 5), and interlace and anasto- 

 mose with the surrounding neuroglia cells, forming thus a direct 

 protoplasmic connection between the giant ganglion cell and 

 the neuroglia. In some few cases observed there is apparently 

 a direct anastomosis of the dendrites of the adjacent ganglion 

 cells. 



Nucleus . — The internal structure of the cell is peculiar and 

 characteristic. The nucleus is abnormally large nearly filling 

 the cell and having in general much the same outline as the cell 

 itself (Fig. 5j. The nucleus is eccentrically placed usually 

 crowded close up to the dorsal wall of the cell so that occasion- 

 ally the cytoplasm can with difficulty be distinguished between 

 the nucleus and the cell wall at that point. The chromatin net- 

 work can be seen distinctly in iron hematoxylin, and Ehrlich's 

 hematoxylin preparations, extending uniformly through the 

 'cell, (Fig. 5, cJi. n). 



The nucleolus is large, oval or spheroidal, usually lying 

 eccentrically in the upper part of the nucleus. (Fig. 5, nil). 

 It takes most stains deeply, but nuclear stains like Ehrlich's 

 hematoxylin leave it transparent. Rarely a second nucleolus 

 of smaller size may be seen. The nucleolus contains from eight 

 to twelve spherical granules which stain deeply with iron 



