ZOOLOGY 



SECT. 



membrane the periosteum which takes an active part in its 



growth and nutrition. 



The connective tissues are all more or less passive in the 



functions which they perform, serving mainly for support and for. 



.binding together the various organs. Muscular tissue, on the 



other hand, has an active part to 

 play this being the tissue by 

 means of which, in general, all 

 the movements of the body of 

 an animal are brought about. 

 Muscular tissue varies greatly in 

 minute structure in different 



groups of animals, and even in 

 different parts of the same ani- 



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mal. It consists of microscopic 

 fibres aggregated together into 

 large bundles or layers. These 

 fibres are composed of a sub- 

 stance the muscle substance 

 which when living has the special 

 property of contractility, contract- 

 ing or becoming shorter and 

 thicker on the application of a 

 stimulus. There are two princi- 

 pal varieties of muscular tissue 

 to be distinguished, termed re- 

 spectively non-striated and striated 

 muscle. Each fibre of non-striated 

 muscle (Fig. 16) is usually a 

 single, greatly elongated cell, 

 sometimes branched, with a single 

 nucleus ; it may contain a core 

 of unaltered protoplasm, or all 

 except the nucleus may be altered 

 into muscle substance; cross- 

 striation is absent. A fibre of 

 striated muscular tissue (Fig. 17) 

 is formed by the union together 

 of several cells which are repre- 

 sented by their nuclei (n). Some- 

 times there is a core of proto- 

 plasm : but more usually the entire fibre is composed of muscle 

 substance, with perhaps a remnant of protoplasm in the neigh- 

 bourhood of each nucleus. The substance of the fibre is crossed 

 bynumemu- transverse bands and striae, the precise significance 

 of which is a matter of controversy. The fibre is usually en- 

 closed in a delicate sheath the sareolemma. Striated muscular 



ver>e section of compact 

 bone, c, lamella- concentric with the 

 outer surface ; /*, lamella; concentric 

 with the surface of the marrow cavity ; 

 c, section of llaversian canals; c', sec- 

 tion of a Haversian canal just dividing 

 into two ; ./, interstitial lamella-. (From 

 Huxley's lestomin Physiology.) 



