Page:Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (IA journalofacademy01acaduoft).pdf/12

4 order that it may be the more easily devoured, when pressed between them and the jaws.

Rostrum one fourth the length of the body, somewhat contractile, moveable in every direction, enlarged at the tip to receive the retractile jaws; which are opposite, and armed with a series of horny curved points ranged upon each jaw like the teeth of a comb, with a row of smaller ones between them, and furnished at the base with a longitudinal lip. Immediately behind the jaws, in the interior, are two capitate threads connected by nerves; adjoining these are two palpiform biarticulate processes; first joint very short, oblique; second elongated, recurved; probably used by the animal as interior palpi.

Nervous System. A nervous ganglion of four rounded lobes is situated between the eyes and the sophagus, giving rise to several nervous filaments; the four principal ones, arise each from the extremity of a lobe; two of them terminate in the jaw, and the other two are directed backwards to the tail, but interrupted at the base of the dorsal fin by a double, oblong, lobated, ganglion.

The centre of the first ganglion furnishes two nerves for each eye, of which one terminates at the base of the peduncle, and the other, much smaller, at the pupil. Numerous smaller nerves arise from each of these nervous ganglions, directed to different parts of the body.

Viscera. Nucleus oblong, pyriform. Colour iridescent, when at the depth of three, four, or five feet in the water, it is resplendent, diamond-like. A large cylindrical canal, more or less dilated, attached to the throat at the anterior extremity, supported near and above the eyes by a membranous diaphragm, passing loosely through a large cavity of the body, and embracing at its termination