1885.] 



Myolicematin and the Histolicematins. 



249 



likeness between the spectra of such organs as the ovaries of a star- 

 fish and the pancreas, stomach-wall, kidney, and other organs of a 

 cat, and between these and that of striped muscle throughout the 

 whole animal kingdom. 



To give an idea of the character of these spectra and their distri- 

 bution is not easy in an abstract, but in general they may be said to 

 consist of at least three bands — one before D, one or two between D 

 and E, and sometimes one or two others nearer violet. When one 

 band occurs between D and E it replaces the two found in other cases, 

 which are of great narrowness compared with other physiological 

 spectra. The band before D is always the same both in the histo- 

 heematins, and in myohaamatin with few exceptions. Sometimes this 

 kind of spectrum is replaced by another in which two narrow bands 

 like those of reduced haematin occur nearer the violet than the bands 

 of the latter. It was proved repeatedly that the banded spectrum 

 belongs to the deoxidised condition, and the bandless to the fully 

 oxidised ; accordingly these pigments are respiratory. 



Among animals in which I have found these spectra a few may be 

 enumerated with the organs in which they occur. Thus in Echino- 

 derms the ovaries, stomach-wall, and other parts of Ur aster rub ens show 

 them well marked. 



In molluscs, Limax flavus, L. variegatus^ Arion ater, Helix aspersa, 

 H. pomatia, and other slugs and snails contain them in such parts 

 as the nephridium, albumen gland, ovo-testis, receptacidum seminis, foot, 

 wall of crop, oviduct, penis and elsewhere, and all contain myoheematin 

 in the muscle of the heart in both auricle and ventricle, also in the 

 pharyngeal muscle. In these species, as Dr. Sorby first showed, the 

 bile contains a kind of heematin, which is evidently connected with 

 the histohaematins for reasons given in the complete paper. In 

 other molluscs such as Littorina littorea, Purpura lapillus, Trochus 

 cinerarius and zizipliinus, Patella vulgata, Limnceus stagnalis, Mytilus 

 edulis, Ostraea edulis, Anodonta cygnea, and others, they have been 

 observed by the above method of examination. 



In Arthropods, such as Homarus vulgaris, Astacus fluviatilis, Cancer 

 pagurus, Garcinus moenas, and Pagurus Bernhardus, they have also 

 been found, in such situations as the green glands (of the two first), the 

 stomach-wall, liver, exceptionally in the branchial, and elsewhere. 

 They are also present in insects and in spiders. 



, In all these invertebrates (and others) they can be studied unin- 

 fluenced by the presence of haemoglobin. Wherever they are seen the 

 corresponding tissue or organ is more or less yellow or reddish-yellow, 

 but sometimes almost colourless. 



On examining vertebrates I was surprised to find the same spectra 

 in such situations as the liver, spleen, kidney, stomach-wall, pancreas, 

 wall of intestine, and sometimes in the ovary. And by washing out 



