ALIMENTARY CANAL 



I I 



always pregnant, contains euil)r)-oa of different ages, and liirtlis 

 probably take place all tlie year round. 



In all species of Pcrijyttn.-i the young are fully formed at 

 birth, and differ from the adults only in size and colour. 



AXATOMY 



The Alimentary Canal (Fig. 8). 



The buccal cavity, as explained aliove, is a secondary forma- 

 tion around the true mouth, which is at its dorsal posterior end. 

 It contains the tongue and the jaws, which have already been 



Fig. 8. — Peripatus ccqjensis dissected so as to show 

 tlie alimentary canal, slime glands, and salivary 

 glands. (After Balfour. ) The dissection is viewed 

 from the ventral side, and the lips (L) have been 

 cut through in the middle line behind and pulled 

 outwards so as to expose the .jaws {j), which have 

 been turned outwards, and the tongue {T) bearing 

 a median row of chitinous teeth, which branches 

 behind into two. The muscular pharynx, extend- 

 ing back into the space between the first and second 

 pairs of legs, is followed by a short tubular oeso- 

 phagus. The latter opens into the large stomaeli with 

 plicated walls, extending almost to the hind end of 

 the animal. The stomach at its poiut of .junc- 

 tion with the rectum presents an S-shaped ventro- 

 dorsal curve. .1, Anus ; at, antenna ; F.l, F.2, 

 first and second feet ; j, jaws ; X, lips ; oe, 

 oesophagus ; or.2J, oral papilla ; ph, pharynx ; B, 

 rectum ; 5.(7, salivary duct ; s.g, salivary gland ; 

 sl.d, slime reservoir ; sLg, portion of tubules of 

 slime gland ; st, stomach ; T, tongue in roof of 

 mouth. 



described, and into the hind end of it there opens ventrally 1)y a 

 median opening the salivary glands (s.g). The mouth leads into 

 a muscular pharynx {2^h), which is connected by a short oeso- 

 phagus (oe) with a stomach (st). The stomach forms by far the 



