428 Miscellaneous. 



seen to group themselves and finally to unite into two lateral gra- 

 nular masses traversed by delicate fibres. These masses reciprocally 

 emit fine filaments, which creep over the bottom of the sucking- 

 disks. Three sections lower, the two lateral masses are entirely 

 separated ; but from each there issue four nervous filaments, which 

 run divergently to the outer epithelial layer, in which they seem to 

 terminate suddenly. In the succeeding sections, however, besides 

 the commissure uniting the two nervous masses which now makes 

 its appearance, the sections of eight nerves show themselves, four on 

 each side, surrounding in semicircles the sections of the lateral 

 ganglia. This arrangement continues in the succeeding sections as 

 far as the middle of the scolex. By the reconstruction of all these 

 images the author represents the whole as follows : — 



The lateral nervous cords ascend from the cervical region into the 

 scolex, where they continue to travel in the same direction. There 

 are no ganglia and no commissures either in the posterior part of 

 the scolex, where their existence is assumed by M. Bottcher and 

 M. Moniez, or in the middle of the length of the scolex, where 

 M. Blanchard supposed them to be. It is only after attaining the 

 anterior extremity of the scolex that the lateral cords incline to 

 meet, and, after a slight inflation, unite by a powerful commissure. 

 The latter is thickened in the middle and contains ganglion-cells. 

 As in the Tcenice, the median thickening may be called the central 

 ganglion, although it is not so definite in the Bothriocephalic aud 

 even seems to be partly amalgamated with the lateral ganglia. 



In front the lateral cords are continued beyond the ganglia. 

 Immediately below the commissure they give origin on each side to 

 four nerves, which at first take a radial direction, but soon bend 

 backward and accompany the principal cords. At first one is struck 

 with the analogy in the arrangements of these threads and the 

 collateral descending filaments in the Tcenice ; but while the latter 

 can be traced into the cervical region, those of the Bothriocephali 

 cannot bo followed through more than half the length of the scolex. 



The principal nervous cords terminate in front at the level where 

 they give origin to the collateral filaments ; they emit a series of 

 short delicate nervous filaments to the epithelial coat of the scolex. 

 Other filaments seem to unite in the plane of one of the sections, to 

 form a sort of anterior nervous ring. 



These arrangements in Bothriocephalic are morphologically im- 

 portant as giving the key to the complications observed in Taenia. 

 The nervous ring, the polygonal commissure, and the branches of 

 the suckers in the latter are in relation to the great development and 

 complexity of their muscular system. Abstracting this accessory 

 system there remains only a central nervous system, much resem- 

 bling that of the Bothriocephalic namely : — (1) a central ganglion : 

 (2) the lateral ganglia the development of which is in relation to 

 the bilateral symmetry of the worm ; (3) ten descending nervous 

 filaments, two of which are larger than the rest ; and (4) the bran- 

 ches which run to the anterior extremity of the scolex. Thus the 

 nervous system in Bothriocephalic is related to that of Taenia as a 

 simpler and more primitive state of evolution. — Comptes Rendus, 

 April 13, 1885, p. 1013. 



