﻿394 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OP 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM. 
  vol. 
  44. 
  

  

  The 
  esophagus 
  is 
  long, 
  the 
  rectum 
  rather 
  short 
  ; 
  the 
  intestinal 
  coil, 
  

   which 
  is 
  free 
  behind, 
  consists 
  of 
  about 
  13 
  double 
  turns 
  (Theel, 
  1905), 
  

   and 
  extends 
  backward 
  to 
  the 
  posterior 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  coelom. 
  The 
  

   esophagus 
  is 
  held 
  to 
  the 
  retractors 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  muscle 
  strands, 
  but 
  no 
  

   supporting 
  fibers 
  were 
  elsewhere 
  observed. 
  (Theel's 
  fig. 
  175 
  shows 
  

   the 
  supporting 
  fiber 
  of 
  the 
  esophagus 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  body 
  wall 
  rather 
  

   than 
  to 
  the 
  retractor.) 
  'Rieel 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  retractors 
  

   that 
  have 
  united 
  anteriorly 
  are 
  always 
  longer 
  than 
  their 
  remaining 
  

   separate 
  portions, 
  and 
  .the 
  same 
  is 
  apparently 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  

   specimens, 
  though 
  Paul 
  (1909) 
  shows 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  specimen 
  from 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  Sweden, 
  which 
  he 
  sectioned 
  transversely, 
  the 
  fusion 
  occurs 
  

   through 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  fifth 
  only, 
  the 
  muscles 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  

   two-fifths 
  being 
  separate. 
  

  

  The 
  sexes 
  in 
  the 
  specimens 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  from 
  off 
  the 
  

   American 
  coast 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  separate, 
  the 
  males 
  when 
  full 
  of 
  sperm 
  

   being 
  whitish, 
  and 
  easily 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  females. 
  Some 
  

   males 
  contam 
  immature 
  sperm 
  in 
  oval 
  or 
  pear-shaped 
  masses, 
  which 
  

   viewed 
  with 
  a 
  hand 
  lens 
  might 
  be 
  mistaken 
  for 
  eggs. 
  The 
  body 
  cavity 
  

   of 
  the 
  female 
  contains 
  relatively 
  few 
  large, 
  opaque 
  eggs. 
  In 
  no 
  case 
  

   do 
  I 
  find 
  any 
  evidence 
  of 
  hermaphroditism. 
  

  

  Theel 
  found 
  no 
  males 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  though 
  he 
  considered 
  it 
  pos- 
  

   sible 
  that 
  the 
  papillate 
  Ph. 
  improvisum 
  Th6el 
  which 
  was 
  taken 
  at 
  the 
  

   same 
  locality 
  might 
  be 
  the 
  male. 
  Paul 
  (1909), 
  comparing 
  Ph. 
  sahel- 
  

   larise 
  with 
  Phascolosoma 
  {Petalostoma) 
  minutum 
  Keferstein 
  from 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  France, 
  arrives 
  at 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  both 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   species 
  and 
  both 
  hermaphrodites. 
  The 
  evidence 
  which 
  he 
  presents 
  

   on 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  points, 
  however, 
  is 
  not 
  entirely 
  satisfactory, 
  and 
  

   especially 
  is 
  this 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  supposed 
  hermaphroditism 
  of 
  Ph. 
  sahel- 
  

   larise. 
  His 
  figures 
  of 
  the 
  reproductive 
  organ 
  of 
  Ph. 
  minutum 
  in 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  (figs. 
  5 
  and 
  21) 
  have 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  typical 
  ovary, 
  though 
  

   containing 
  groups 
  of 
  cells 
  supposed 
  from 
  their 
  size 
  and 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  

   their 
  chromatic 
  contents 
  to 
  be 
  spermatocytes. 
  In 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  

   ovary 
  of 
  Ph. 
  gouldii, 
  I 
  find 
  clusters 
  of 
  small 
  cells 
  of 
  a 
  similar 
  appear- 
  

   ance 
  beneath 
  the 
  peripheral 
  oocytes, 
  but, 
  though 
  I 
  have 
  examined 
  the 
  

   coelomic 
  fluid 
  of 
  hundreds 
  of 
  individuals 
  of 
  both 
  sexes 
  in 
  this 
  species, 
  

   in 
  no 
  case 
  have 
  I 
  ever 
  found 
  both 
  ova 
  and 
  sperm 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  indi- 
  

   vidual. 
  Paul, 
  in 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  ovaries 
  of 
  Ph. 
  sabellarise, 
  makes 
  this 
  

   statement 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  sex 
  (p. 
  30): 
  "Doch 
  finden 
  sich 
  

   auch 
  die 
  Zellengruppen 
  wieder, 
  die 
  Ich 
  bei 
  Petalostoma 
  minutum 
  als 
  

   vermuthlich 
  mannhche 
  bezeichnet 
  habe. 
  Die 
  verschiedenen 
  Entwick- 
  

   lungsstadien 
  von 
  beiderlei 
  Geschlechtszellen 
  treiben 
  genau 
  so 
  in 
  der 
  

   Leibeshohle 
  umher, 
  wie 
  bei 
  Petalostoma 
  minutum 
  beschrieben 
  

   wurde." 
  Professor 
  Spengel, 
  likewise, 
  in 
  whose 
  Institut 
  Paul's 
  work 
  

   was 
  done, 
  writes 
  me 
  that 
  Ph. 
  sahellarise 
  and 
  Ph. 
  improvisum 
  are 
  at 
  

   least 
  extraordinarily 
  like 
  Ph. 
  minutum, 
  and 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  quite 
  certain 
  of 
  

  

  