Boys and Girls in Biology; Or, Simple Studies of the Lower Forms of Life (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1875 Excerpt: ...of the heart (Fig. 100). The Auricles close or draw themselves together, and force the blood through little folds, or Valves, into the middle-room, or Ventricle. The Valves do not allow the blood to return to the Auricles. The Ventricle draws itself together and sends the blood into the tubes called Arteries, to continue the same course, and, as the blood goes in this circle through the body, its course is called the circulation of the blood. But why do we not see the blood in these rooms passing from the Auricles into the Ventricle, for the walls are transparent? If the blood were red like yours, you could see it moving along, but it has none of the red cells which you saw in yours under the microscope. The blood of the Mussel is made of water and colorless cells, which move about quite like the Human Amcebe. Below the heart-sac, or Pericardium, lie the kidneys: they are also called the Organs of Bojanus, from the name of their discoverer. They have two chambers, an upper and a lower (Fig. 101). The upper one is clear Fig. 101. Door from Lower Kidney--leading into Heart-Bag. Upper Part of Kidney. Lower Part of Kidney. Door from Upper Kidney into Front-Room, or Ventral Chamber. and transparent, and has a door which opens into the Mussel's big room, or Ventral Chamber (Fig. 101). The lower chamber of the kidney is of a dark, chocolate color, and it has a door which opens into the heartbag, or Pericardium (Fig. 101). It is in the dark, under part, where the blood which runs through the kidney is made pure (Fig. 102). Around the stomach lies a dark-brown-looking mass, and this is the liver. It makes or manufactures Bile, and pours it into the stomach. I wonder if the poor Anodon (another name for the Mussel, meaning toothless) ever gets bilious, and if his doc...