OF THE INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS. y 



the entire blood. That fresh fibrine absorbs oxygen with extra- 

 ordinary ease has been experimentally shown by Scherer ; the 

 analyses I have adduced lead to the assumption of the occurrence 

 of a similar metamorphosis in the organism ; whence the pure 

 primitive muscular fibre would appear as the medium of trans- 

 ition of albumen through all the modifications of fibrine into 

 chondrine, from constant absorption of oxygen (perhaps partly 

 with hydrogen, in the proportion for forming water). Thus 

 we have — 



Protein e. 



Carbon 55 



Hydrogen .... 7 



Nitrogen 16 



I shall return to this point in the subsequent consideration of 

 the cutaneous system. 



C. Reproductive Organs. 



In the ovum we have differentials in magnitude of the future or- 

 ganism; hence we ought also to find initthe sum of the fundamen- 

 tal constituents of the latter, and, with the exception of phosphate 

 of lime, these do not present any essential differences ; but even 

 the latter, however, is never perfectly absent. As is known, we are 

 indebted to the investigations of R. AVagner* for the knowledge 

 of the uniform structure of the primitive ova in the animal series ; 

 an identical, or at least very similar grouping of the chemical 

 elements appears to correspond to this. The occurrence of true 

 crystals of stearine, as observed by Vogtf in Ahjtes, appears to 

 stand isolated. The unimpregnated ova of Astacus [jluviatUis), 

 Melolontha {vulyaris), Musca [vomitoria], Epeira {diadema), and 

 Tegenaria [domestica), as representatives of the Articulata, Unio 

 [pictoruin), Anodonta {cygnea). Helix {pomatia and nemoralis)^ 

 Limax [ater), and Limnoius {stagnalis), from the series of Mol- 

 lusca, exhibited similar reactions, which were as follows : — 

 Acetic acid caused the chorion and the vitelline membrane to 

 swell without effecting their true solution ; potash acted in the 

 same manner ; the contents at the same time swelled to such an 

 extent as to burst the softened membranes, and numerous drops 

 of fat came into view, the former being dissolved ; the drops of 



* Prodromus historice generalionis. Lips. 183ti. Beifrdge zur Gcschicltte der 

 Zvitytiny in AbliamU. dcr Miiucheuer Acadeuiie, vol. ii. 18t47. 



+ Enlu'ickdungsgcschichtc dcr GuOurl.s/iL'lfi'r/aolc. Sulotliuni, 1812, p. 2. 



