226 BARKEE. 



compact coarsely granular glands, which are so arranged as to simu- 

 late an anterior prolongation of the free ends of the testicular horse- 

 shoe* they extend cephalad to approximately the same level on the 

 two sides of the body. A small vitelline duct connects the successive 

 glands of each group; a larger one leaves the posterior gland of either 

 side and, passing caudad and mediad, unites with its mate to form a 

 yolk reservoir (Fig. 13), which lies dorsal to the anterior portion of the 

 shell gland. A small yolk duct leads from this reserVoir and joins the 

 oviduct in the central area of the shell gland. 



Excretory System. — Two lateral canals, one on each side of the body, 

 arise at the level of the oesophagus. They parallel the sides of the 

 body and lie slightly external and ventral to the intestinal caeca. At 

 the level of the anterior testes their course becomes obliquely caudo- 

 mediad and they unite just posterior to the shell-gland to form the 

 excretory bladder, which lies in the median plane at about the level 

 of the more posterior testes and ventral to the intestinal caeca. The 

 bladder extends backward in a straight course from the shell gland 

 and terminates in the excretory funnel near the posterior end of the 

 body.' The funnel itself runs dorso-caudad and opens through an 

 excretory pore on the dorsal surface in the median line 0.15 to 0.30 mm. 

 from the posterior margin of the body. According to Looss (1902 : 593) 

 this excretory funnel (Figs. 14-17, 22) is characteristic of the Prono- 

 cephalidae; it is lined by cuticula raised into 7 to 9 longitudinal ridges. 

 Cilia were not observed in the funnel, the inner end of which is sur- 

 rounded by numerous gland cells. 



The uterus is packed with numberless eggs; those from diiferent 

 parts of the uterus were studied. In mass the eggs appear dark 

 brown, but individual eggs are light brown or golden yellow. In 

 shape (Fig. 21) they vary from short or long oval to ovoid, and every 

 egg bears a tuft of filaments at each pole. The body of the egg in 

 glycerine preparations varies from 0.0287 to 0.0387 mm. in length, 

 and from 0.0162 to 0.0187 mm. in width. The shell is thick and has at 

 the more pointed end a definite flattened operculum, but without an 

 opercular rim. Six to ten coarse filaments, which may attain a length 

 of 7 times that of the egg proper, occur at the opercular pole and there 

 are at the opposite end 12 to 20 coarse very long filaments, 15 times as 

 long as the egg proper, with an equal number of short finer filaments. 

 The diameter of the coarser filaments is about one-half the thickness 

 of the egg shell and they appear to be composed of the same material. 

 The intertwining of these filaments causes a characteristic massing of 

 the eggs, and makes it difficult to separate them. 



