70 ELEMENTARY PHYSIOLOGY. [vi. 



elongated, the capsules disappear, and so the 

 fibre-cartilage merges into 

 /. Connective tissue. 



The fibre-cartilage does not form one continuous 

 band connecting the vertebra, but passes in 

 parallel bundles, between and at right angles 

 to which are tendinous bundles which thus 

 will be seen in cross sections ; the cartilage 

 cells may in some bundles also be absent. 



2. Prepare through the junction of the round liga- 

 ment and head of the femur in a young animal 

 a section parallel to the direction of the fibres. 

 If the tissue has been treated with picric acid, 

 stain the section in picrocarrnine ; if in chromic 

 acid, with hsematoxylin. Observe as the ten- 

 don approaches the cartilage the transition of 

 the flat rectangular branched cells of the ten- 

 don to oval fuller cells with round nuclei. Note 

 the gradual disappearance of distinct fibres and 

 their replacement by a hyaline matrix, the cells 

 at the same time becoming scattered. Thus 

 the tendon passes into fibro-cartilage, and fibro- 

 cartilage into hyaline-cartilage. 



B. TRANSITION TO ELASTIC CARTILAGE. 



Dissect out the arytenoid cartilage of a sheep, 

 preserved in alcohol, and cut out a small piece 

 of the tissue immediately above the hyaline 

 cartilage, and together with a little of the 

 hyaline cartilage itself. Imbed, and cut sec- 



