DEVELOPMENT OF THE ELASMOBRANCH FISHES. 109 



Spinal nerve, su r. Supra-renal body, t s. Caudal lobes, v. Blood-vessel, v g. 

 Vagus nerve, v. Fifth nerve, vn. Seventh nerve, v c , 1,2, 3, c. ist, 2nd and 

 3rd &c. visceral clefts, v p. Vertebral plates, iv d. Wolffian duct. x. Peculiar body 

 underlying the notochord derived from the hypoblast. y k. Yolk spherules. 

 All the figures were drawn with the Camera Lucida. 



Plate 3. 



Fig. i. Section parallel with the long axis of the embryo through a blastoderm, 

 in which the floor of the segmentation cavity (s g) is not yet completely lined by cells. 

 The roof of the segmentation cavity is broken. (Magnified 60 diam.) The section is 

 intended chiefly to illustrate the distribution of nuclei () in the yolk under the blasto- 

 derm. One of the chief points to be noticed in their distribution is the fact that they 

 form almost a complete layer under the floor of the segmentation cavity. This pro- 

 bably indicates that the cells whose nuclei they become take some share in forming 

 the layer of cells which subsequently (vide fig. 4) forms the floor of the cavity. 



Fig. 2. Small portion of blastoderm and subjacent yolk of an embryo at the time 

 of the first appearance of the medullary groove. (Magnified 300 diam.) 



The specimen is taken from a portion of the blastoderm which will form part of 

 the embryo. It shews two large nuclei of the yolk () and the network in the yolk 

 between them ; this network is seen to be closer around the nuclei than in the inter- 

 vening space. The specimen further shews that there are no areas representing cells 

 around the nuclei. 



Fig. 3. Section parallel with the long axis of the embryo through a blastoderm, 

 in which the floor of the segmentation cavity is not yet covered by a complete layer of 

 cells. (Magnified 60 diam.) 



It illustrates (i) the characters of the epiblast, (2) the embryonic swelling (e s), 

 (3) the segmentation cavity (sg). It should have been drawn upon the same scale as 

 fig. 4 ; the line above it represents its true length upon this scale. 



Fig. 4. Longitudinal section through a blastoderm at the time of the first appear- 

 ance of the embryonic rim, and before the formation of the medullary groove. 

 (Magnified 45 diam.) 



It illustrates (i) the embryonic rim, (2) the continuity of epiblast and hypoblast at 

 edge of this, (3) the continual differentiation of the lower layer cells, to form, on the 

 one hand, the hypoblast, which is continuous with the epiblast, and on the other the 

 mesoblast, between this and the epiblast; (4) the segmentation cavity, whose floor of 

 cells is now completed. 



N.B. The cells at the embryonic end of the blastoderm have been made rather 

 too large. 



Fig. 5. Surface view of the blastoderm shortly after the appearance of the me- 

 dullary groove. To shew the relation of the embryo to the blastoderm. 



Fig. 6 a and b. Two transverse sections of the same embryo, shortly after the 

 appearance of the medullary groove. (Magnified 96 diam.) 



a. In the region of the groove. It shews (i) the two masses of mesoblast on 

 each side, and the deficiency of the mesoblast underneath the medullary groove; 

 (2) the commencement of the closing in of the alimentary canal below, chiefly from 

 cells (n a) derived from the yolk. 



b. Section in the region of the head where the medullary groove is deficient, 

 other points as above. 



