394 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



tance, thus serving as a cap for the clear glassy portion. This 

 substance takes a dirty brown stain in hematoxylon. So much is 

 to be learned from specimens hardened in alcohol alone. 



When these cells are obtained by maceration in Midler's fluid, or 

 in a solution of- potassic bichromate preferably, they show some in- 

 teresting points, in addition to what has been given. The light 

 refracting substance is less in quantity, the strands come out more 

 clearly, and the substance filling the neck and serving as a cap to 

 the clear glassy substance is very finely granular. This latter was 

 observed in some cases to enclose the nuclear bodies and the clear 

 glassy substance in the form of a capsule. The nuclear bodies may be 

 one for each clavate cell, but varies, there being often three or four, 

 and I have observed in one case six. Two in each cell is a common 

 occurrence, and then they are placed to one another in such a manner 

 as to lead casually to the belief that they were just previously 

 formed from a single one by division. The cell wall often appears 

 shrunken, probably owing to the action of the reagent employed. 



A great deal of attention has been given to these cells. Kblliker 1 

 first described them in the Lamprey under the name of slime cells. 

 Max Schultze 2 observed a transverse striation on the neck of the 

 cell, which conducted itself as far as regards polarization the same as 

 striated muscular fibre. He also observed longitudinal striae which 

 united at the blunt end in concentric lines. According to his 

 view, they are probably end organs of a neuro-muscular nature. F. 

 E. Schulze 3 also describes the striation of these forms in the eel,, 

 and found globules, apparently composed of fat, in the centres of 

 several cells. No cell membrane was observed by him, and in many 

 cases he found an opening at the head of the cells. His view is that 

 they are comparable to the cells of the sebaceous glands of higher 

 vertebrates. 



My own observations are not confirmatory of the striation de- 

 scribed by Max Schultze and F. E. Schulze. There are to be found 

 neither openings in the cellular walls nor fat globules. In one or 

 two cases I have observed a portion of the clear glassy material situ- 

 ated on the outside of the cap, and separated from the surrounding 

 fluid on the field of the microscope by a clear line which was continu- 



1 Verhandl. der Physik. Medic. Gesellschaft in Wiirzburg, Bd. VII. and VIII. 



2 Arch, flir Anat. und Physiol. 1861, pp. 228 and 281. 

 'Arch, fur Mikr. Anat. Bd. III., 1867. 



