e. _Large intestine_, a short, thin-walled expansion at the
posterior end of the small intestine; usually less than half an
inch long.
f. _Cœca_, from two to several small pouches attached where the
small intestine leaves the stomach.
4. _Spleen_, a reddish brown _globule_ between the folds of the
intestine.
5. _Swim bladder_, an elongated chamber lying against the backbone,
partitioned off from the cavity below by a delicate membrane.
6. _Peritoneum_, the delicate, silvery membrane which lines the
abdominal cavity and enfolds the viscera. Note its spots of pigment.
7. _Pericardial chamber_, the chamber around the heart; see § 1
above.
8. _Heart._ As the fish is placed belly upward in the pan the
_ventricle_ faces you, pink, conical, and muscular. Posterior to it,
on the dorsal side, is the _auricle_, a membranous sac.
9. _Ventral aorta_, arising on the anterior surface of the ventricle
as a white muscular "cord" (really a tube) which is enlarged close to
the heart into a bulb, the _arterial bulb_. You should follow up this
aorta until you see it divide right and left to send its branches
outward into the gills, the branches being called _gill arteries_.
_Questions._
1. The fish frequently swallows its food alive. Why should the
stomach be muscular? Why is it better that the intestine does not
leave the stomach at the end opposite the esophagus?
2. Of what use can the cœca be? What structure of the human intestine
do you recall that is at all like them in form or use?
3. How many times the length of the body is the length of the
alimentary canal? Does this indicate that the fish is compelled to
eat a great deal of poor food or that its food is highly nutritious,
so that little need be taken?
4. Near which end of the fish's body is the heart? Is this the usual
or the unusual condition among animals you know about? What
advantages can you think of in this arrangement?
5. What advantages are there in having the heart in a chamber
separated from the other vital organs?
6. Of how many chambers does the heart consist? Why should at least
one of them be muscular?
7. How many times does the blood pass through the heart in making a
complete circuit of the body? Would you call this a single or a
double circulation?
8. Does the heart force the blood onward or does it draw blood into
itself, _i.e._ is the heart a force pump or is it a suction pump?
9. How is circulation made complete? If the heart is a force pump, is
its power sufficient to drive blood through artery, capillary, vein,
and into auricle, if the capillaries can stand the pressure, or is
another action concerned? If it is a suction pump, why does the blood
leave the heart?
_Suggested drawings._
a. The body cavity, with viscera undisturbed.
b. The alimentary canal extended.
c. The anterior end of the fish with the sinus held open, to show the
general situation of the parts.
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