78 



THE VITAL FUNCTIONS. 



and is now termed the Rhizosloma Cuvieri. It is 

 evident that this conformation allows of the admit- 

 tance of none but very minute particles of organized 

 materials into the recipient orifices and almost 

 capillary tubes of these singular animals. 



The course of these absorbent vessels is most 

 conveniently traced after they have been filled with 

 a dark coloured liquid. The appearances they pre- 

 sent in the Rliizostoma Cuvieri, after being thus 

 injected, are represented in the annexed figures ; 

 the first of which (Fig. 249), shows the under sur- 

 face of that animal, after the pedicle has been 

 removed by a horizontal section, at its origin from 

 the hemispherical body, or cupola, as it may be 

 termed, where it has a square prismatic form, so 



that its section presents the square surface, q, q. 

 Fig. 252 is a vertical section of the same specimen ; 

 both figures being reduced to about one-half of the 

 natural size. The dotted line, h, h, in the latter 

 figure, shows the plane where the section of the 

 pedicle was made in order to give the view of the 



