

94 LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. —- 
have in Anguwis fragilis, or perhaps in Lacertilia generally, 
a specialized organ for feeling temperature, up to now an 
institution without parallel in the whole animal kingdom. 
And no doubt it would be of great use for such animals 
with a thick and scaly skin, like the Lizards, to have such 
an organ, in addition to the general sense for temperature. 
Certainly such an organ would be of greater use than a 
third and imperfect eye alongside two perfect ones. 
I know quite well, how venturesome it is to bring for- 
ward speculations on the function of an organ without 
having proved them by physiological experiments, and I 
should have preferred to postpone the publication of this 
paper till I was able to complete it by an account of such 
experiments. Still more I should have liked to examine 
some more of the Ophidia, and to see whether in other 
genera also traces of a pineal eye could be found as 
in Pelias berus. But being pressed for time by having 
undertaken another research, I am forced to postpone the 
completion of this work for some months. 
I conclude by giving my chief results. 
1. There is in Anguis fragilis a continuous connection 
between the pineal eye and the epiphysis, and therefore 
with the brain. 
2. The cavity of the vesicle is not derived from the 
cavity of the neural canal, but is formed by splitting. 
3. The pineal eye (at least in Angwis fragilis) is an 
organ for feeling temperature, and is still functional. 
4, There are also traces of the pineal eye in the Ophidiy 
as for example in the embryonic Pelias berus. 

