30 Mr. H. J. Carter on Dracunculus. 



below the mouth respectively, while the other two are flat, rudi- 

 mentary, and situated laterally. Besides this, there is another 

 kind of armature extending from the rudimentary papillae up- 

 wards and downwards, so as partly to encircle the head ; but 

 this is too faintly marked to require further notice ; while the 

 whole is fixed upon a kind of disk of concentric (muscular ?) 

 fibres, which is situated beneath the integument, and thus ter- 

 minates this end of the body. From the four papillae, which 

 are situated at right angles to each other, as many whitish lines 

 are seen to extend backward, of which those from the large 

 papillae pass into the centre of the muscular bands, where they 

 are continued on faintly throughout the body, while those from 

 the rudimentary papillae pass into the transparent intervals be- 

 tween the bands. Thus, assuming that the opake bands, which 

 are the great longitudinal muscles, are placed (as in Ascaris lum- 

 bricoides) above and below the alimentary canal, the large pa- 

 pillae, being opposite them, will be vertically, and the rudimentary 

 ones laterally situated, as before mentioned. 



On the other hand, the posterior extremity (fig. 5) also ap- 

 pears obtuse to the unaided eye; but this, under a common 

 magnifier, is observed to arise from an inflexion of the tail, 

 which, being marked on its outer and inner curvature respect- 

 ively by the great longitudinal muscles of the body, and the 

 latter also by the termination of the rectum (n), as will presently 

 be seen, may be assumed to be curved ventrally, where it is fre- 

 quently fixed by an adventitious membrane (fig. 5 o). The anal 

 orifice, as we shall also presently see, must be situated at the 

 commencement of the tail, if the rectum has any opening at all 

 externally, which I think very doubtful, as I have not yet been 

 able to discover it ; nor have I ever been able to see any trace 

 of a vaginal opening or vulva. 



The body consists of a firm cylindrical integument lined with 

 a coating of muscular fibres, within which, again, loosely sus- 

 pended by delicate filaments of cellular tissue in the peritoneal 

 cavity, are the alimentary canal and generative organs. 



Integument homogeneous, transparent though coriaceous. 



Muscular coat consisting of some delicate circular fibres, 

 which appear to be attached to the integument, and the two 

 longitudinal muscular bands before mentioned, which are as- 

 sumed, in accordance with what has been stated of Ascaris lum- 

 bricoides, to be respectively situated dorsally and ventrally. 

 Peritoneal cavity empty, presenting towards each extremity a 

 patch, about an inch long, of sarcoid (glandular ?) prolongations, 

 which are most marked anteriorly. • 



Alimentary canal (fig. 3) consisting of the oesophagus, intes- 

 tine, and rectum, of which the two former are in a common 



