379 
sacculated, in benhami, while in dunedinensis it is stated to run 
straight from mouth to anus, only slightly convoluted (through the 
contraction of the body). This would appear to be a too important 
difference for specimens of one and the same species. I do not 
think so, however, because the loop which may be found in some 
specimens is not of the same 
morphological value as that 
found in other Holothurians, 
but merely accidental folds of 
the much convoluted alimen- 
tary canal. It is not found in 
all specimens; sometimes, on 
the other hånd, there are two 
of them, one above the other, 
both in the posterior part, at 
the passage from the intestine 
into the rectum. The oeso- 
phagus is, in accordance with 
the character of the mouth, strongly compressed laterally; it is very 
short, without any muscular swelling. The dorsal mesentery contin- 
ues directly unto the’ rectum, which latter is suspended by two 
strong mesenteries, attached to. the ventro-lateral radial muscles, 
the dorsal mesentery is passing into the left of these rectal mesen¬ 
teries. In one case the right rectal mesentery was found attached 
to the right dorso-lateral radial muscle. 
Regarding the radial muscles D e n d y States that {in dunedinen¬ 
sis) “there are, of course, no retractor muscles” (1897; p. 27). 
However, the anterior end of the longitudinal muscles is so strongly 
compressed and marked off from the part lying in the plane of the 
body wall that it is very tempting to regard this part as a true 
retractor muscle; but this compressed part is not entirely separated 
off from the part of the muscle following the body wall, and thus 
it may be maintained to be not directly homologous to the retractor 
muscle of Dendrochirotes. The retractor-part of the radial muscle 
begins at about of the body length from the anterior end, grad- 
ually inereasing in height forwards. 
The ciliated funnels are stated by Den dy to be scattered singly 
in the neighbourhood of the dorsal mesentery. It appears that 
c. 
Fig. 60. Ciliated funnels of Trochodota Dendyi 
(a), Tr. dunedinensis (b) and Tr. dunedinensis, 
var. microurna (c); in the last figure two of 
the funnels are figured as seen from above.' 
