410 THE ALIMENTARY CANAL OF THE IMAGO. 
rings, so that the basement membrane and epithelial coats 
project between the muscle-fibres, and give it its characteristic 
sacculated appearance. 
The sacculi or crypts formed in this way probably represent 
the four blind glands of the larva. In many insects the whole 
exterior of this part of the chyle stomach is covered by long 
crypt-like glands, and the crypts are lined by true glandular 
cells. I have sought in vain for gland cells in the rudimentary 
crypts of the chyle stomach of Calliphora, such as Frenzel 
figures from the chyle stomach of Blatta, Bombus and Hydro- 
philus [180]. 
The epithelial coat of the caput and of the pyloric portion of 
the chyle stomach consists of cubical rodded cells (see p. 279) 
exactly like those of the lingual salivary glands. These I regard 
as secreting cells, whilst the epithelium of the sacculated inter- 
mediate region consists of large conical cells, which may be 
compared to unicellular villi. These cells are united with 
each other at their base only, which stains deeply; the pro- 
jecting conical portion of the cells stains less readily and 
exhibits a transparent mucoid border, this is apparently shed 
from time to time as a series of thin layers, which appear 
as a spongy reticulum, in sections, separating the more solid 
particles of food from the epithelium. I have never observed 
vacuoles or granules of secretion in these cells, and I conclude 
that they are concerned in the absorption of dissolved material, 
peptones and carbo-hydrates. 
In the young imago and the nymph the cells of the inter- 
mediate portion of the chyle stomach are not conical, but 
columnar, and are covered by a thin layer of mucus. These 
cells in imperfectly prepared sections often exhibit the goblet 
condition, or the mucigenous portion of the cell may split into 
rods, which sometimes give it the appearance of being ciliated. 
I believe these appearances are the result of post-mortem 
changes, due to imperfect fixation of the cells. 
The Proximal Intestine.—In the Cockroach (Blatta) and in 
many other insects the proximal intestine is not developed, or 
is merely a part of the chyle stomach, so that it is usually 
