REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN THE SNAIL. 6l 



The albumen gland (AG) is closely appressed to nearly the 

 entire length of the convoluted uterus. It supplies the albuminous 

 portion of the egg. Its short duct (AGD) empties into the con- 

 voluted part of the uterus near the most posterior point in its 

 lumen. Keferstein ('62-66) believed that the albumen gland 

 is wanting in some water snails. 



The convoluted part of the uterus (CU) is intricately folded 

 upon itself and has regions of large granular cells and others of 

 ciliated columnar epithelial cells. The regions of large glandular 

 cells are the more extensive and occupy most of the interior part 

 of this organ leaving only a relatively small lumen. This part 

 of the reproductive system forms a distinctly blind pounch in 

 some, perhaps most, forms of the Stylommatophora. In Helix 

 pomatia (Meisenheimer, 'o/) Lima.v inaxinnts (H. Hoffman, '22) 

 and probably in Liuia.r c in era and Anon (Baudelot, '63) this 

 pouch functions as a " fertilization pocket." This does not ap- 

 pear to be the case in any of the Basommatophora. 



The egg membrane gland (EMG) nearly envelops the con- 

 voluted uterus at the point where it ceases to be externally con- 

 voluted and becomes uniformly glandular. This gland secretes 

 the gelatinous material in which the individual eggs are imbedded, 

 as Baudelot has shown. 



The mass membrane gland (MMG) is supposed by Baudelot to 

 be a reservoir for eggs and gelatin. He thinks that the egg mass 

 is formed within it. My observations also point to its having 

 this function. Cunningham ('99) believes that the mass mem- 

 brane is supplied by the sole gland. This assumption is based 

 upon observations made on marine forms, Buccinum and Murcx. 

 In a specimen of L. s. appressa, eggs which had been extruded 

 through a wound in the duct just before it enters this gland were 

 completely formed, but the mass membrane was entirely wanting. 

 There were also free eggs within this region of the duct and one 

 within the lumen of the mass membrane gland itself. Since this 

 snail was fixed in a chromic-potassium bichromate solution before 

 being dissected, these eggs were entirely free from gelatin, hence 

 contributed no information to the question whether or not any of 

 this material is formed by the mass membrane gland. Since 1 

 found a fully formed mass of eggs in the vagina of L. colnmclla, 



