76 CRISTATELLA MUCEDO. 



between it and the testis, as will presently be seen. Now, if the 

 formation of the ovary be attended to, it will be seen that this 

 body is developed at a late period from the walls of the original, 

 sac-like embryo, which have undergone slight changes, and have 

 become the endocyst of the more mature Polyzoon, and it will at 

 once be perceived that this development of the ovary takes place 

 in a way which may obviously be compared with the formation of 

 a bud ; that at least in Alcyonella it occupies exactly the position 

 in certain cells that the buds destined to become polypedes do in 

 others ; and that at an early stage of polypede and ovary it is 

 scarcely possible to distinguish one from the other, so that the 

 idea is immediately suggested that the body here called the ovary 

 is itself a distinct zooid, in which the whole organisation becomes 

 so completely subordinate to the reproductive function as to be 

 entirely masked and apparently replaced by the generative organs. 

 This would then constitute a third zooid, which would therefore 

 be a sexual zooid ; it is, however, unisexual (female). 



" In the next place, we find that upon the funiculus (in Alcyo- 

 nella), which probably belongs rather to the polypede than the 

 endocyst, there is developed the mass here described as testis. 

 Now, if we view this mass as a mere organ of the polypede, we 

 must then regard the latter as the second sexual or male zooid, 

 but the testis may perhaps be more correctly considered, hke the 

 ovary, as a distinct sexual bud, having the generative system so 

 enormously predominant as to overrule and replace all the rest of 

 the organisation, this bud, like the ovary, being also uni-sexual, but 

 with a male function. In confirmation of this view, it is to be 

 remembered that the funiculus has the power of giving origin to a 

 very remarkable form of undoubted bud — the statoblast — which 

 until ulterior development is excited in it has no nearer resem- 

 blance to an ordinary polypede bud than the testicular mass has ; 

 and to this statoblast — in so far, at least, as position is concerned — 

 the male bud or testis in Alcyonella would therefore be related 

 just as the female bud or ovary is related to an ordinary polypede 

 bud. In Paludicella the testis, though in immediate connection 

 with the funiculus, is developed apparently from the endocyst. 



" If the above be the correct view, the complete comprehen- 

 sion of the Polyzoon will involve the conception of a ciHated, 



