Although a variety of corpuscles have been described during the last century by investigators of echinoderm perivisceral fluid, disagreement exists among the descriptions of different authors and a re-investigation of the problem with newer methods is desirable before the corpuscles of echinoderm perivisceral fluid can be properly characterized. These newer methods are primarily observation through the phase contrast microscope, so effective in Gregoire's studies (1953) on insect blood, and observation of cells unaltered by contact with air, glass or chemicals which Hensill (1949) found so useful in his study of crab blood. In addition, the study of all the transformations of a cell of a given type under gradually altered conditions discloses changes from one cell type to another in some instances. Furthermore, a comparative study made possible a useful tentative classification of the cells found in fifteen species of echinoderms representing all the living classes of Echinodermata.
MATERIALS AND METHODSThe animals were collected in the vicinity of the Monterey Peninsula at low tide in some cases and by dredging in others. The animals were used as soon after collection as possible since starvation is known to alter clotting (Glavind, 1948).Cell types of each species were determined by the examination of fluid drawn from the perivisceral cavity with the aid of a siliconized syringe. A drop of the fluid was
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