258 DISTETBUTION OF NERVE-FIBEES, ETC. 



fibres of the frog were crossed at mimerous points by 

 nerve-fibres, and that the nerve supply to each 

 elementary muscular fibre was much more free and 

 uniform than had been supposed. This fact was 

 demonstrated more especially in the thin muscles of 

 the eye and in the mylohyoid of the frog. 



2S1. IJistribiition of nerve fibres to the miiscles of 

 the Hyla, or greeii-tree frog. — Not satisfied with the 

 results of my investigations, published in 1862, I 

 examined numerous other muscles of the fros: and 

 other animals, in the hope of being able to demon- 

 strate the finest nerve fibres in every part of their 

 course over the sarcolemma, but was not able to obtain 

 any muscle in the common frog so thin that I could 

 trace the finest branches over a very considerable 

 extent of surface. In the tnylohyoid of the Hyla, 

 however, I found a muscle eminently adapted for this 

 investigation ; and on June 5th, 1863, I presented a 

 paper to the Royal Society upon the arrangement of 

 the nerves in this beautiful muscle. This memoir is 

 published in the " Proceedings." I have prepared 

 many specimens in which the nerve can be followed 

 from one undoubted nerve-trunk to another, dividing 

 and subdividinar in its course, so as to foi*m with 

 other nerves a lax network of compound nucleated 

 fibres, which compound fibres are often less than the 

 ■g-p-i-g-Q of an inch in diameter. In PL YIII, fig. 1, I 

 have given a sketch of this beautiful thin muscle, as 

 it appears when examined under a low mag-nifying 

 power. The vessels are injected. The nerve net- 

 work is well seen, as it ramifies over the two layers 

 of muscular fibres. The elementary muscular fibres 

 cross one another at right a<ngles. 



282. The rtistributlou of nerves to the mnsclcs of 

 Articulata. — The highly elaborate and rapid move- 

 ments of insects would lead to the inference that in 

 them the distribution of nerves to the muscles must 

 be very fi-ee. The textures are, however, so very 



