THE ANATOMY OF ONCHOLATMTJS VULGARIS, BAST. 113 



not been able to detect any of those fibre-like projections 

 from the undifferentiated portions of the cells to the longi- 

 tudinal lines which occur in other forms, and no doubt act as 

 nei'ves. 



The Body Space. 



The interval between the body-wall and the gut is, in 

 sections, found to be occupied by a substance the characters 

 of which vary in different regions. The gonads, glands, etc., 

 are imbedded in it. 



As the subject is a somewhat contentious one, I shall first 

 describe the substance in question and then discuss its nature. 



It extends through almost the entire length of the body; 

 the only regions in which it is impossible to prove its presence 

 are at the level of the pharynx and behind the anus. It 

 naturally varies in development according* to the space to be 

 filled, is most abundant aronnd the termination of the 

 oesophagus (PI. 7, fig. 13) and around the rectum, where 

 a considerable interval occurs between the alimentary tract 

 and the body wall. It is also fairly abundant where a large 

 organ such as the ovarian cascum or testis ends. 



In that part of the oesophageal region which lies behind 

 the nerve-collar it forms a fibrillar network (PI. 7, fiigs. 8, 10, 

 and 13 m.) The fibrilte are tortuous, but their general direc- 

 tion is from the muscular layer inward to the oesophagus. 

 In places the meshes between the fibrils are circular, as if 

 they had been occupied by globules of some substance. Over 

 the outer surface of the oesophagus the fibrils interlace, forming 

 an irregular membrane, while the same occurs over the internal 

 surface of the cells of the body- wall, m uscular and epidermal, the 

 interwoven fibrils applying themselves closely to these cells, 

 or passing in between the muscle fields at the submedian 

 lines, and to a lesser extent between individual muscle-cells. 

 At the submedian lines, indeed, they reach the epidermis. 



They stain intensely with nigrosin, and also take up eosin, 

 but with less avidity. 



Nuclei occur in the tissue (PI. 7, fig. 8, mn.), but are not 



