ZOOGENY. 415 



2455. The combination of the intestine with bones, 

 muscles and peculiar nerves, is presented in the tongue. 

 This is the sensitive organ of the intestine. 



2456. The tongue is a feeling-sense in water, just as 

 the skin was that in the air. For it is the blossom of the 

 digestive process. To the tongue therefore belongs the 

 digestive or water-organ of the mouth, which is con- 

 stituted by the salivary glands. 



2457. The sensation of what is fluid in its chemical rela- 

 tions is called taste. Gustation is not a peculiar process, 

 but obviously only the nervous commencement of the 

 digestive process. On that account also the gustatory 

 sense still lies concealed in a cavity. The whole buccal 

 or oral cavity still belongs to the sense of taste. 



2458. As in the sense of feeling the motor system 

 still predominates, so does it also in the tongue, as being 

 the second sense, which has been liberated from the plant. 

 The nervous mass is in this sense not preponderant over 

 the muscular and bony mass. 



2459. The tongue is still to be regarded as an organ 

 of touch, though one in which the flesh or muscle has 

 gained a mastery over the bones, while in the true tactile 

 organ the bones determine the principal forms and 

 functions. The tongue is a nervous organ in the 

 muscle, the hand is such in the bone. 



2460. The hyoid or lingual bone is none other than 

 the first branchial arch, and consists pretty nearly of the 

 same pieces as the arm. 



2461. Compound lingual bones, such as occur in 

 many Reptiles, have originated from coalescence of several 

 branchial arches. 



2462. Like the limbs, so is the tongue originally a 

 double organ. In most Reptiles it is longitudinally fis- 

 sured. Such animals have usually also a double penis. In 

 all animals the tongue is divided into two moieties, 

 which are only connate by means of suture. The penis 

 also consists of two connate penes. 



2463. As in the tegumentary sense, the nerves could 

 not be peculiar or special in kind, but took their origin 



