1028 



THE SENSES 



tha in the higher animals, at least they are in any way 

 concerne hearing; and since experiment has assigned them a 



deSnlte function of another kind (p. 907), we shall not consider them 



\~str.v. 



W 



Fig. 437- Longitudinal Section through the Cochlea of a Cat (Schafer, after Sobotta) 

 X 25. dc t canal or duct of cochlea ; scv, scala vestibuli ; set, scala tympani ; w, bony 

 wall of cochlea; C, organ of Corti; mR, Reissner's membrane ; n, fibres of cochlear 

 nerve; gsp, ganglion spirale; str.v., stria vascularis. 



further in this connection. The scala media contains the organ of Corti, 

 which (Fig. 439) consists of a series of modified epithelial cells planted 

 upon the basilar membrane. The epithelial cells are of three kinds: 

 (i) supporting epithelial cells; (2) the pillars or rods of Corti, in two 

 series (inner and outer), sloped against each other like the rafters of a 

 roof, and covering in a vault or tunnel which runs along the whole of 

 the scala media from the base to the apex of the cochlea; (3) the hair- 

 cells, around which the fibres of the auditory nerve arborize. These 

 last are columnar epithelial cells, surmounted by hairs. They are 



