On the Structure of the Excretory Organs of Amphioxus. Part 2.—The ...

186 EDWIN S. GOODRICH.
to dispose of them. Such convincing evidence can now be
brought forward against these views, that it may be hoped
the question will soon be definitely settled. Moreover, I take
this opportunity of adding certain details which serve to
complete our knowledge of these interesting organs.
In 1904 Boveri published a note (la) in which, while
accepting my description of solenocytes, he still maintained
that the lumen oE the nephridial canal opens into the dorsal,
or hyper-branchial, ccslom by one or more funnels.
Felix, in bis excellent account of the development of the
excretory organs of the Vertebrata (2), fully adopted my
view as to the structure of the nephridia of Amphioxus, and
gave some figures, derived from Boveri's original paper (1),
but "corrected after G-oodrich." In these figures the funnels
were closed up.
Shortly afterwards Felix changed his opinion, having examined
Boveri's sections, and republished the latter's figures
in their original condition (with open funnels) in a second
work on the excretory organs of the Vertebrata (3). K. C.
Schneider likewise accepts Boveri's description, but gives no
new figures to support his opinion (12).
Now, it may at once be stated that I am firmly convinced
that such internal funnels do not exist. Indeed, I am
prepared not only to affirm that they do not occur in any
Amphioxus I have examined, but also to prove the correctness
of ray description to auy competent person who is willing to
look at my preparations. My affirmation is based on a long
and patient study of numberless specimens, both living and
preserved. It is naturally to sections that one turns for the
final verdict, and I may say that, although I have examined
hundreds of sections of specimens of different sizes and ages,
preserved according to a variety of methods, cut in all
directions, stained in various ways, never once have I been
able to discover such an opening. Occasionally, if the section
is broken, the preservation defective, or the staining imperfect,
one may meet with what at first sight appears to be
a communication between the coelom and the nephridial