211 
the mentioned dilatation more or less close to the distal 
end of the fissures (Pl. V, fig. 1). 
I cannot quit these organs without adding some 
remarks upon the paper of Bernard, quoted above, in 
order to throw a light upon one of the most remarkable 
>discoveries« touching this subject. — Unfortunately I 
shall be obliged to copy a rather long piece in order 
to be able to exhibit the therein contained not few 
theories that must be real tit-bits to the now-a-days so 
remarkably large public of fantastical speculative phvlo- 
geneticians. — He has examined »a small Chernetid, 
apparently an Obisium«, and he says (p. 26). »The 
stigmata of the tubular tracheze on the second and third 
abdominal segments are followed by a complete row 
of segmental apertures running along each 
side to the end of the abdomen. Their position 
corresponds exactly with those of the stigmata, and I 
think it is impossible to doubt that they are homologous 
with these latter. In this interesting Arachnid, then, 
there are nine pairs of apertures on the nine 
posterior abdominal segments. The two anterior 
pairs are stigmata. The function of the other seven, 
for want of sufficient material, I have not yet made out. 
It is well known that the Chernetide spin webs, and 
there seems to be no very clear idea where the glands 
are situated. Cronebergs claim [here he quotes the 
above mentioned work of Cr.| that the spinning-gland 
opens in the mandibles is probably correct. I find a 
very distinct aperture on a small prominence behind 
the point of the movable piece of the mandibles. In 
that case these »stigmata« may be purely rudimentary 
and funetionless. If, on the other hand, these seven 
pairs of apertures following on, and evidently homologous 
with, stigmata prove to be the openings of spinning- 
14* 
