Monthly Microscouican 
Joumiil, Sept. 1, 1869. J 
FlosGularia corondta. 
139 
It is assumed therefore that in these lower forms this member 
is the representative of the two cihated organs in Melicerta, which 
manifest such rapid discrimination in its selection either of food or 
of building material. 
In the act of swallowing, the mouth {g) is protruded upwards 
in close contact with these three processes (Fig. 10) to receive the 
particle and to pass it through the oesophagus {n) on to the man- 
ducatory apparatus; the particle is distinctly seen distending the 
oesophagus on its passage (Fig. 6 li), clearly proving that this can- 
not be a simple " waving veil," as described by Mr. Gosse ; but 
from the fact of the mouth being a bulging, elongated orifice, 
merging into a tube beneath, the upper portion certainly presents 
something the appearance of a veil, and the tube necessarily assumes 
a waving motion with the muscular contractions of the labial dia- 
phragm in its normal position, in consequence of the tube being 
longer than would be required if that position were permanent ; 
but the oesophagus has to accommodate itself to the arbitrary posi- 
tions that the diaphragm assumes, both in the acts of swallowing 
and ejecting particles, when the mouth, as before shown, is elevated, 
carrying with it and utilizing, so to speak, the " slack " of the tube 
that previously waved to and fro, but which is now rendered almost, 
if not perfectly straight. 
The manducatory apparatus (it does not merit the term mastax) 
is situated very low in the stomach cavity, and is extremely small, 
the mallei only measuring each ^oVo- of an inch in length; the 
stomach appears to be divided into more than one chamber, but 
the opacity of the viscera has hitherto prevented my determining 
definitely further than an intestine with a ciliated rectum leading 
to the cloaca, beneath which, and enclosed in the posterior swelhng, 
is seen a clear transparent space (possibly a vacuole), but from its 
inconstancy it may be assumed to perform the actions of diastole 
and systole^ the functions of a bladder, and its position near the 
cloaca, together with its occupation of a permanent swelling, would 
seem to corroborate the assumption. 
The rapid process of retraction is very curious, and would be 
impossible to determine, except that the cautious and deliberate 
manner in which eversion is performed enables the observer to 
trace the modus operandi. The frontal lobes are simultaneously 
folded inwards and downwards at their bases, and abruptly returned 
at a short distance beyond, so that their anterior portions are 
retained in an erect position in the centre of the disc, which are 
then withdrawn within the funnel, leaving a coma of setae pro- 
truding. 
The ova, of which I have never seen more than two attached at 
one time, measure B"ioth by 5-^oth of an inch in their respective 
elliptical diameters, the eye-spots in them very distinct, but less so, 
L 2 
