Fig. 7.—A, Hydra fusca, with expanded body and a budding individual; B, H. fusca, contracted; C, H. fusca, part of outer surface of a tentacle, greatly magnified. (A and B drawn from live specimens, C, from a preparation) D, Grantia sp. (a sponge), three individuals; E, Grantia sp., longitudinal section; F, Grantia sp., spicules. (D, E, and F drawn from preserved specimens.)

Technical Note.—Place small slips of paper on the slide near the Hydra, put cover-glass over the whole, and examine with the low power of the microscope.

Note that the whole animal is made up of cells closely joined. Are the cells in the tentacles all alike? Note nodule-like projections above some of the cells; these are stinging cells, or cnidoblasts. In some cases a small hair-like process, the trigger hair or cnidocil, may be seen projecting above the surface of the cell. Note in some of the tentacles dark-colored particles. These are food-particles which have been taken through the mouth into the digestive cavity and have passed thence into the tentacles. The central digestive cavity communicates freely with the cavities in the tentacles, for the tentacles are merely evaginations of the body-wall.

Make drawings of the Hydra expanded and of the same individual contracted.

Technical Note.—From the preparation which you have under the microscope pull out the slips of paper, thus letting the cover-glass drop down on the specimen. With a small pipette put a drop of anilin-acetic stain (see p. [451]) on the slide at one side of the cover-glass and with a piece of filter-paper draw the water through from the other side of the cover-glass. When the stain is diffused press down the cover-glass gently and examine the tentacles first under a low power of the microscope, then under a high one.

Note the distortion that the animal has undergone through the action of the reagent. Observe the cnidoblasts of the tentacles and note that many of them have thrown out long whip-like processes (fig. [7], C). On what parts of the body do the cnidoblasts occur? Carefully examine one of the cnidoblasts which has been discharged and note a clear transparent bag-like structure within, the nematocyst, to which is attached the long whip-like process. In another cnidoblast cell which has not been discharged note that the whip-like process is coiled about inside of the bag-like structure. The whole apparatus is like the inturned finger of a glove which can be blown out by pressure from the inside. The mechanism is simple. The cnidocil or trigger-hair is touched by some animal, an impulse is conveyed to the delicate fibres interspersed among the cells (nerve-cells) which stimulate the cnidoblast cell, whereupon there is a contraction of the contents and, the cnidoblast being compressed, the inverted whip-like process turns wrong side out and impales the animal on its points or barbs.

Technical Note.—The teacher should be provided with microscopical sections, both transverse and longitudinal, of the Hydra stained in some good general stain (hæmatoxylin or borax carmine). If the teacher has no means of making such preparations, they may be procured from dispensers of microscopical supplies.