64 ELEMENTS OF HISTOLOGY. [Chap. vm. 



elastic sheath, inside of which is a bundle of minute 

 fibrils, which cause the longitudinal striation of the cell. 

 These fibrils are the contractile portion ; and they are 

 contractile towards the nucleus, with whose intranu- 

 clear reticulum they are intimately connected. When 

 the cell is contracted its sheath becomes transversely 

 corrugated (Fig. 38e). 



79. The non-striped muscular cells are aggregated 

 into smaller or larger bundles by an interstitial albu- 



Fig. 38s. A Non-striped Muscular Cell of Mesentery of Newt. 



Showing several places where the muscular substance appears contracted, 

 thickened. At these places the corrugations of the sheath are marked. 

 (Atlas.) 



minous homogeneous cement substance, the cells being 

 imbricated with their extremities. The bundles may 

 form a plexus, or they may be aggregated by fibrous 

 connective tissue into larger or smaller groups, and 

 these again into continuous masses or membranes. In 

 the muscular coat of the bladder, in the choroidal 

 portion of the ciliary muscle, in the arrector pili, in the 

 muscular tissue of the scrotum, very well marked 

 plexuses of bundles of non-striped muscular cells may 

 be met with. In the muscularis mucosse of the 

 stomach and intestines, in the outer muscular coat of 

 the same organs, in the uterus, bladder, &c., occur 

 continuous membranes of non-striped muscular tissue. 



When the muscular cells form larger bundles they 

 are more or less pressed against one another, and, 

 therefore, in a cross section appear' of a polygonal 

 outline. 



80. Non-striped muscular tissue is found in the 

 following places : in the muscularis mucosse of the 

 oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestine ; in the 



