724 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vor. XXXIV. 
usually somewhat elliptical, but may be irregularly circular. 
Isolated preparations from the epithelium are of the utmost 
value in determining the character and relation of cells. For 
isolating, Ranvier's dissociator of one-third alcohol was found 
to be especially good. The isolated cells were of the same 
length as the thickness of the epithelium, as shown in sections, 
the cell bodies being usually thin or even .thread-like, with 
nuclei at all levels, thus showing with the greatest clearness 
that, although somewhat modified, the cells form a simple 
columnar epithelium. There might have been a few inter- 
posed cells at the bases of the longer ones, but if so they were 
not recognized. Usually, beneath the striated border of the 
cells is a band which takes a darker stain than the rest of the 
cell body. This was especially true of the epithelium towards 
the pylorus. 
Although essentially similar in all parts of the intestine, the 
epithelium is especially thicker in the cephalic portion, there 
being in this first region a more complicated arrangement of 
nucléi at different levels. From the spiral valve caudad it is 
somewhat simpler, that is, it is not so thick, and the outlines 
of the cells are much easier to trace, there being at most but 
four layers of nuclei. Compared with the height of the epi- 
thelium of the lower intestine, there is greater distance from the 
surface to where the nuclei are located than is the case in the 
upper intestine. Goblet cells occur throughout the intestine, 
being more numerous caudad. In depth the thecas of the 
goblet cells occupy but a small proportion of the thickness of 
the epithelium or of the lengths of the cells of which they 
are parts. This is especially true of the upper part of the 
intestine. 
Macallum (86) describes cilia throughout the intestine of 
Amia. Comparing Macallum's statements with sections, in 
many places cilia seemed to be present, but careful examina- 
tion of fresh specimens did not bear out these observations. 
In these experiments, as a check, living cilia were obtained 
from the esophagus. Hopkins (93) describes cilia in a very 
small area just caudad of the spiral valve; this is the only 
place in the intestine of Amia where true cilia occur; what 
