DORSAL VIBKATILE FIN OF THE ROCKLING (MOTELI.A). 249 
belongs to tlie system known to comparative anatomists as 
the “communis” system. The ramus lateralis accessorius, 
whicli has no connection with the nerve of the lateral line, is 
paired and takes its origin in the lobus facialis of the myelen- 
cephalon. It runs backwards (sending- off branches on its 
way to the barbels and pelvic tin), one on either side of the 
ligament, which supports the vibratile fin, and in the region 
of the latter its branches anastomose with the spinal nerves 
at their ganglia. From this anastomosis the nerve-fibres of 
the ramus lateralis accessorius are sent along with general 
cutaneous branches from the spinal ganglia to the skin of the 
region of the vibratile fin. The main crunks of the ramus 
lateralis accessorius continue to run in a posterior direction, 
and at the origin of the second or aboral dorsal fin they rise 
to a higher level, and those of right and left sides become 
more widely separated from one another. My results regarding 
the innervation of taste-buds of the rockling agree with those 
of Herrick in his invescigatiou of the gustatory organ of 
Ameiurus. According to Herrick, all “terminal buds” are 
innervated from a bilobed centre, namely, the gustatory 
tract or “visceral sensory column” of the brain, those 
of the mouth being connected with the posterior or vagal 
lobe by the vagus and glosso-pharyngeal nerves, and those of 
the skin with the facial lobe by means of the facial nerve. 
I may at this point note the contrast that wdiile the 
“neuromasts” or organs of the lateral line are innei-vated by 
the acustico-lateralis nerve taking its origin from the tuber- 
culum acusticum or ‘^somatic sensory col um n ” of the 
myeleucephaloii, the terminal buds receive their nerve supply 
from the “communis” nerves arising from the vagal and 
facial lobes or viscei-al sensory column. 
One may differentiate three systems of nerve-endings in 
the skin of fishes, namely : (1) The general, cutaneous nerve- 
endings innervated from the dorso-spinal roots; (2) the 
nerve-endings in the “neuromasts” innervated by the 
acustico-lateralis nerves, and (3) the nerve terminals of 
taste-buds supplied by the “communis” system of nerves. 
