AND FUNCTION OF THE LIVER. 
7 
the anterior portion by a kind of annular constriction, thus marking off the future 
large intestine : the walls presented some appearance of developing muscular fibre. 
Three days later the cardiac orifice of the stomach presented a more marked con- 
striction, separating it from the oesophagus ; no liver nor kidneys were yet formed. I 
observed at this time that the black pigment was deposited directly as such, consti- 
tuting globules and streaks of various size, and not previously elaborated and gra- 
dually formed in cells. The next morning, that is ten days from the date of the 
first observation, I observed a mass at the anterior part of the abdomen, extending 
on a level with the anterior part of the yolk-sac to some distance behind it ; this was 
doubtless the rudiment of the liver ; it consisted of granulo-amorphous matter, and 
was traversed by ramifications of a vessel which spread itself over the yolk-sac ; this 
vessel was a branch given off from the cardinal vein near the anus ; it ran along the 
lower border of the intestine, and after ramifying on the yolk-sac and on the liver, 
joined a vein entering the heart. A rudiment of the gall-bladder, in the form of a 
small transparent vesicle, was also observed ; the lower end of this appeared to dip 
down towards the intestine. 
On the succeeding day I noted that the parenchymatous mass of the liver was 
quite distinct, and that the transparent vesicle, the future gall-bladder, adhering to it, 
had enlarged, but without having yet formed any communication with the intestine. 
I dissected the intestine out, and saw clearly that there was no protruding of its 
parietes as if the liver were a development from it. The constriction separating the 
small and the lai’ge intestine was very marked and the appearance of the two very 
different, the former being thrown into many folds, the latter being more smooth. On 
the evening of this day I observed the liver having the same shape as in the adult 
fish, the anterior border being notched ; it was traversed by a pretty close plexus of 
capillaries, and contained the remains of the small yolk ; it consisted of granulous 
and oily matter imbedding delicate vesicular cells. Two days later the parenchyma 
of the liver had nearly the same aspect ; its cells were probably more numerous ; they 
varied in diameter — ^^^^^g th of an inch, and were imbedded in oily and granulous 
matter. The gall-bladder was still a transparent vesicle, in diameter =:Y^rd of an 
inch, formed by a homogeneous tunic and having some traces of a lining epithelium; 
its shape was somewhat pyriform, the small end being directed upwards or anteriorly. 
It was distended by a transparent fluid, which as yet had no outlet. Two days after 
I noted that the yolk-sac imbedded in the parenchyma of the liver had become very 
small, and that the gall-bladder was elongated and tended downwards and back- 
wards towards the intestine. The succeeding day the narrow extremity of the gall- 
bladder was still more elongated ; it tended still more downward, and adhered by its 
apex to the stomach. 
After having carried my observations thus far my stock of young fish died, and I 
was unable in consequence to follow the further progress of development regularly, 
but after the lapse of about six weeks I procured some minute fish very similar to 
those I had before been observing. The result of my examination of these was as 
