27 
space) by very numerous radiating muscular bundles (fig. 14, 28) which 
were observed by v. GRAFF in Neomenia and noticed by him to be 
so numerous as nearly entirely to fill up this intervening space. 
In Proneomenia they are not quite so thiekly set. The outline of 
the museular pharynx when seen from above (fig. 14) shows a more 
or less distinet constrietion at the point where it bends backwards 
horizontally towards the stomach , the anterior portion being a more 
globular enlargement in the vertical direction above the mouth, 
which latter directly leads into it. 
One of the speecimens eaught was just in the act of swallowing 
a-rounded lobe of an Alcyonarian coral which in its turn was fixed 
upon a worm-tube. The bit of coral had just entered its mouth so 
that at first sight the specimen of /Proneomenia appeared asif move- 
ably attached to a slight stem. This eircumstan ce gave me the 
opportunity of studying the pharynx in a state of considerable dis- 
tension as well as in its more normal appearance (in the other 
specimen). The strongly distended pharynx is shown in fig. 15 as 
seen when opened from above, a portion of the wall (t) being 
turned asidee The mouth is shown in o and in consequence of the 
morsel swallowed the portion just above the mouth is distended so 
as to fit round this spherical object, the next portion between the 
small transverse slit r and the commencement of the stomach at b 
being considerably eneroached upon and shortened as a compa- 
rison with fig. 14 (the same parts in a normal condition) will show. 
This distension is especially instructive in two respects. First it 
elearly shows that internally all round the mouth the wall of the 
pharynx is capable of a radial folding which gives it a fringed 
appearance. These radial folds are all directed towards the centre 
of the mouth and are situated, as is shown by transverse and lon- 
gitudinal sections, on a circular, rather considerable duplicature 
(£, fig. 17) of the pharyngeal wall, which runs all round the mouth 
and might be compared to a cireular lipr A. supply of nerve- 
branches N takes its course towards this fold # (fig. 17) which is 
essentially constituted of muscular tissue. Moreover considerable 
‚lacunae which I found filled with blood render it probable that by 
