682 W. B. HARDY. 



from the results of digestion in the enteric cavity. The fate 

 of sodium sulphindigotate when introduced into the enteric 

 cavity is interesting in this connection, for though a consider- 

 able portion of that pigment is rapidly decolourised, some may 

 be found after a short period in the vacuolate cells associated 

 with the nutritive spheres in the various stages of their forma- 

 tion in such a way that these bodies are tinged with blue in 

 irregular patches. We may conclude, therefore, that the sub- 

 stances resulting from the solution of the tissue of the prey 

 are mainly absorbed by the vacuolate cells, while at the same 

 time ingestion of disintegrated fragments, possibly of a re- 

 sistent nature, takes place to a limited extent, and is carried 

 on by the apical cells of the villi in the middle region of the 

 body. And the distribution of the products of digestion to 

 the more remote portions of the endoderm is eflfected by the 

 agency of the general somatic fluid. 



But, as I said before, there are reasons for believing that 

 the somatic fluid is more than a vehicle for the distribution of 

 the immediate results of digestion. Let us now turn to a 

 consideration of those reasons. 



In the blastostyles the extensive accumulation of nutritive 

 spheres is in obvious relation to the active and important pro- 

 cesses carried on in those structures. But the nutritive 

 spheres are stored in equal abundance in the endoderm of the 

 foot, where, during the summer and autumn, there appears to 

 be no great call for this enormous reserve of nutritive mate- 

 rial. On the other hand, throughout the whole tentacular 

 region and usually in the endoderm of the tentacles themselves 

 no abundant reserve of food-stuff is present. It is, as I 

 pointed out above, highly doubtful whether the peculiar bodies 

 sometimes found in the endoderm of the tentacles are of the 

 nature of simple reserve nutriment. On the other hand, it is 

 equally certain that the actively motile and sensitive tissues 

 of the tentacular and oral regions are not supplied directly 

 and solely from the immediate products of digestion. We are, 

 therefore, compelled to conclude that the nutritive material 

 stored in one region of the body may be conveyed as occasion 



