J. D. Dana on Zoophytes. 5 
The food, which consists of small crustacea and any thing 
that falls in their way, is acted upon by the gastric juices in 
the stomach, and the insoluble portions ejected by the mouth. 
The chyloid fluids formed by the digestive process then pass be- 
low into the visceral cavity, and are distributed throughout it to 
be absorbed and assimilated by the interior surface and through 
the pores or cavities connected with it. ‘The water which is re- 
‘ceived on expansion has the same course, and contributes along 
with the exterior waters to aeration ; and thus aeration and assim- 
ilation go on together without any special organs for these func- 
tions. Excrementitious matter is probably ejected along with 
this water.* 
30. The septa have been stated to have genital functions, Fig20- 
and this is their principal object. Part are ovarian and 
spermatic. ‘The spermatic are margined with an extremely 
delicate white cord-like or capillary organ, long and much / 
convoluted, (lower part of figure 26a ;) and the ovarian, &, 
(which appear in general to be the narrower of the septa, ) 
bear clusters of ova at the margin, (fig. 20. 
The spermatic nature of these white cords, was first 
Fig. 23. Fig. 24. 
a: == g 
ae 
and figures 24, a, b, c, the three kinds of spiculé with their fila- 
ments. The body of b is transparent; the filament is furnished 
* Hence the mouth is not the only a for the proper excrements, though it 
ejects the refuse indigestible matter from the stomach. 
t Phil. Trans. Abridg., xiii, 639, 1775. yd 
t Ann. des Sciences Nat., viii, (1837,) 282, from Wiegman's Archives, ii, 215, 
(1835.) See also Milne Edwards, Ann. des Sci. Nat., xii, (1840,) 196. ‘ 
§ Jour. of Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., iv, 252. 
