63 



tlieir whole length. By these bands, it is, that the stomach 

 is prevented from being entirely excluded, when the animal 

 evolves it into the inflated membraneous lobes, which it often 

 does in a state of hunger, and when the water is impure. 

 The stomach is a shut sac, and has only one orifice both for 

 the receiving of its food and ejecting the fsecal remains. 

 Its inferior portion is however punctured with minute orifices 

 and sometimes there is an orifice at its base larger than 

 these, which seems analogous to the orifice in the asteroid 

 polypes; though on some occasions I have failed to make it 

 out, yet from the sphincter character it must have, it is 

 probably closed, and hence not always apparent. It appears 

 to be through this opening that the young are excluded 

 and the white threads so often ejected with the stomach. 

 The space between the stomach and sides of the animal 

 is divided into numerous compartments by unequal longi- 

 tudinal septa. They a-re of a muscular texture and unequal 

 both in length and breadth ; some reach from the sides of 

 the animal to the stomach, others only reach portions of 

 the way ; some procede from the base to the roof or oral 

 surface, while others reach hardly so far, hence Br. Johnston 

 says they radiate like the gills of a mushroom to its stalk, 

 which will convey a good idea of the arrangement. Tnese 

 lamellae being muscular, greatly assist the animal in its 

 various actions, and are the cause of the great variety of 

 contortions which it sometimes assumes. These interseptal 

 spaces are occupied by the ovaries and long white filaments 

 which by some have been considered oviducts.* 



The ova are exceedingly numerous, and are enclosed in a 

 transparent membrane which at one edge hangs free, and 

 being double encloses the ova, and afterwards the two layers 

 come into contact and become attached to the edges of the 

 septa and form a mesentery which retains them in situ. 

 Afterwards the two layers again separate, pass on each side 

 of the septa and line them and the whole cavity, including 

 the surface of the stomach and the tubes of tentacula; form- 

 ing in fact a peritoneum, and performing its functions. Tiie 

 ovaries are attached to the whole length of the septa, and lie 

 in horizontal folds ; sometimes they are attached to each 

 partition, and sometimes one or more are missed, and occa- 

 sionly two ovaries are found on one, so that a great variety 

 occasionally occurs. From the ovaries, according to Spix, 

 oviducts proceed to the base of the stomach ; according to 

 Blainvillc, to the labial rim ; and according to Delle Chiage, 

 to the tentacula, for the expulsion of the ova. These organs 



Sliarpey, Cyc. Anat. and Phys., p, 614. 



