72 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 
Rockall seas, which craft likewise go from Grimsby to 
Iceland. These names have since been supplied to Mr John 
Cordeaux, who has been so kindly assisting in gathering up 
the strands of this Rockall query “up to date,’ and they are 
entered in ‘my journals, for further use as opportunities 
may occur. 
So far as I have been able to ascertain, few, if any, of 
the Peterhead or Fraserburgh smacks ever go out to Rockall. 
In conclusion, I desire to say, if these notes—tentative 
and incomplete—serve any useful purpose, in time for the 
summer of 1895, apart from my own endeavours in the same 
direction, I will feel that they have not been altogether 
penned in vain. 
V. Note on Muscle Fibre, Electric Disc, and Motor Plate. 
By G. CaRRINGTON PurvIs, B.Sc., M.D. 
(Read 16th January 1895.) 
Some time ago, while examining the isolated striped 
muscle fibres of the Skate, I was much struck with certain 
appearances which these fibres presented, and which seemed 
to me to afford a clue as to the primitive or original position 
of the motor plate with respect to the muscle fibre itself. 
It is now well known that the electric organ of fishes is 
developed from muscle, and that each muscle fibre gives rise 
to one electric disc, cup, or plate in that organ; also that the 
connective tissue between muscle fibres gives rise to the 
fibrous septa and gelatinous tissue which separate the discs 
from one another; and further, that the immense number of 
nerve branches entering the anterior face of the disc or con- 
cavity of the cup (in the cup-shaped variety of electric organ) 
in the Skate group are equivalent to the nerve ending in 
muscle, and which is commonly known as the motor plate. 
It happens, however, that whilst the nerve destined to 
supply the future electric disc, cup, or plate, always enters 
the club-shaped muscle fibre at one extremity, the nerve 
which supplies a muscle fibre (destined to remain as a 
muscle fibre) always enters the muscle laterally—in other 
