and FerliUzatutn in the Nematoidea. 195 



III roc'ont times we liave been constantly becoming more and 

 more laniiliar with the idea, that the simplest elements of or- 

 ganic nature are not nnt'requently endowed with a pccnliar con- 

 tractility, which resembles the mode of movement oiihe Amwhre. 

 'JMius we have very recently been made acquainted by Lcuckart* 

 and Kiiliikerf with such ])ha'nomena in the cells of the liver of 

 the liabbit, in the cells of the mantle of the Ascidia, and in the 

 cells of the ligamentous tissue in the Turpedu. The plnenomena 

 of motion discovered by Schneider in the seminal corpuscles of 

 the Nematoidea would therefore be only a new member in this 

 scries of observations. 



It was not Schneider^ but Bischoff, that first attempted a 

 comparison between Ainw/jce and the seminal cor))uscles of the 

 Xematoidea. But in this comparison BischotF had in his mind 

 mere phfenomcna of diffusion, which he had detected in the 

 seminal eoi-puscles of AscajHs mystax, and his observations have 

 nothing to do with those of Schneider. 



In accordance with Schneider's recommendations, we have 

 opened the animals nnder examination, sometimes in white of 

 c^^, and sometimes in solutions of connuon salt or sugar. We 

 never succeeded in any species in detecting phfcnomena of mo- 

 tion in the seminal corpuscles taken out of the seminal vesicle of 

 the male. This was also the case with Schneider. The result 

 was, however, very different when seminal corpuscles taken out 

 of the tuba or out of the uterus were subjected to observation. 

 Amongst the species examined, one is especially adapted for the 

 investigation of the pluenomena of motion in C[uestion ; this 

 is the Strongylus auricularis, which we shall therefore consider 

 more particularly here. 



In the first place, we are struck by the number of different 

 corpuscles which occur besides the ova themselves within the 

 female genitalia. Bagge| has already stated that the seminal 

 vesicle of the male contains corpuscles of a form very different 

 from those which he was inclined to regard as seminal cor- 

 puscles in the female. The former are the conical corpuscles, 

 often resembling the horn of a chamois in form, which have 

 already been mentioned. The second constitute round cells fur- 

 nished with an elongated nucleus. This observation of Bagge's 

 is perfectly correct, but incomplete. Not only the nucleated cells, 

 but also corpuscles exactly similar to those from the male seminal 

 vesicle, and besides these, others of an irregular form which 



• Die BlasenbaiKhvurnier und ihie Entwicklung. Gicssen, 1856, p. 121. 



t Sur les inouvenients particnliers dos cellules piasinatiques, &c. 

 Gazette hebd. de Medecine, No. -^S, \'Sb(\. 



X Decvolutiouc Stronnyli auricularis Qt A.'!caridis acuiniiiattE. Erianwfe 

 1S41. 



13* 



