498 



C. M. Child 



irregularities are present, 1 kewise without definite relation to the 

 axes of symmetry. During two months following no additional 

 tentacles were produced and then death occurred. 



These cases present a problem of considerable interest. In all 

 cases twenty-four mesenteries were present in the pieces at the 

 time of section: have some of these mesenteries degenerated or 

 does the usual relation between tentacles and mesenteries or inter- 

 mesenterial chambers not exist in these pieces ? Microscopical 

 examination would of course answer this question at once, but since 

 I was desirous of determining whether these pieces were capable 

 of producing more tentacles they were kept alive as long as pos- 

 sible. Several attempts to obtain other pieces of the sort after 



their importance became evident failed, the pieces closing but pro- 

 ducing no tentacles. I hope to return to the matter in the future 

 and to decide this question. 



I believe, however, that the reasons for the reduced number of 

 tentacles are not far to seek. In the first place, reduction in the 

 number of tentacles may be brought about in more than one way: 

 two different sorts of reduction undoubtedly occur in the pieces 

 described. In the first piece (Fig. 23) and in the second, twelve 

 tentacles arise — in the first piece two of them are later than the 

 others — and there is no external indication of the other twelve. 

 The tentacles present are regularly arranged and, except for one 

 short tentacle in the first piece about equal in length. In conse- 

 quence of the slight distension the body-wall was rather opaque 



