16 DR. HJALMAR BROCH [1918 



this case the cytoplasm always showed a coarsely vacuolated 

 structure; after fixation in Bouin's fluid on the other hand, the 

 cytoplasm appears to contain a great many secretion drops, which 

 are intensety blackened on staining after Weigert's method; also 

 Delafield's haematoxyline shows some affinity to the secretorial 

 drops. The secretions also exhihit a rather intense affinity to 

 eosine, and after treatment with van Giesson's staining method 

 are ooloured an intense yellow by the picric acid. An imteresting 

 picture is offered by sections stained with boraxcarmine-bleu de 

 Lyon (pl. V, fig. 28). The basal parts of the cells below the nuclei 

 are to soine degree stained by both dyes, and thus attain a light 

 violet hue; the bleu de Lyon on the other hand, do es not sla in the 

 cytoplasm of the outer parts, and here only gives the secretorial 

 drops a violet hue. 



As a result of the staining experiments we find thai the cells are 

 typical serocytes, or albumen cells; no trace of mucin was to be 

 found. In connection with the varying position of the glands in 

 question in different genera of the pedunculate cirripeds, this 

 throws a doubtful light on the suggestion of Gruvel that we have 

 here salivary glands; salivary glands moreover ought to comniun- 

 icate directly with the alimentary canal. - - If we bear in mind 

 that Scalpellum Strømii at all events mainly preys upon smaller 

 crustaceans, the size of which is often rather large in comparison 

 with the cirripeid itself, it would seern natura-1 to suppose that the 

 glands in question may be poison glands, serving to paralyse the 

 animal captured. This supposition also seems to concur betler with 

 the nature of the gland cells as pure serocytes. A further objection 

 to the theory of the glands as salivary glands is their remote 

 position in relation to the mouth or the alimentary canal. On the 

 other hand their situation beneath the mouth opening, where the 

 prey after all probability is killed, decidedl}^ speaks in favour of 

 their having a poisonous function. — 



At the transition from the oesophagus to the digestive intestine, 

 a small region of the alimentary canal must be judged as the 

 stomac h. This rather short part of the alimentary canal diff ers 

 fram the oesophagus proper by ils complete lack of muscles. The 

 cuticle of the stomach is a direct continuation of the oesophagal 

 cuticle, and covers the enitire surface of the stomach. It is suppor- 

 ted by a cubical epithelium; the boundaries between the cells are 

 generally very difficult to trace, and the epithelium accordingly in 

 roany cases conveys the impression of a syncytium. At the transit- 

 ion to the digestive intestine (pi. IV, fig. 18) the cuticle becomes 

 thinner, and disappears at last completely. The transition from the 

 stomach to the digestive intestine is generally distinctly emphasized 

 by a sharp constriction of the alimentary canal; this constriction 



