4°2 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



left kidney. It lies upon it for about one-third of the length of the kidney from its 

 posterior pole, while the right ovary lies over the hindmost extremity of the kidney of 

 that side. 



The broad ligament (ligamentum latum) is attached to the ovary along its median 

 side, where there is a slit-like hilus, deepening posteriorly to admit the ovarian nerves 

 and blood vessels. 



The ligamentum latum 



The broad ligaments and their attachments to the ovary and to the body wall have 

 been described by Beauregard and Boulart (1882) and by Daudt (1898) for Balaenoptera 

 tnusailus (now physalus), and by Schulte (1916) for B. borealis. In the Fin whale 

 examined in this work close agreement was found with the account given by Daudt ; 

 but there were some differences. 



The broad ligament forms a thick transverse sheet attached to the parietes laterally 

 (Fig. 12 g). In its posterior part it embraces the vagina, corpus uteri and uterine cornua 

 (Fig. 12/ 5 ,/ 4 , Z 3 ,/ 1 ), being attached ventrally to the two former so as to obscure their 

 outline in ventral view. The ligaments of the two sides are continuous ventrally across 

 the vagina and corpus uteri, but the line of attachment shifts on to the lateral faces of 

 the cornua (Fig. 12/ 1 ). Anteriorly the ligament has attachment to the ovary and involves 

 the coiled oviduct and the ostium abdominale (Fig. 12 d). 



As described by Daudt a short strong band (Fig. 13/) passes from the rostral end of 

 the ovary on to the foremost end of the ostium abdominale, and a ridge of papillae, not 

 mentioned by Daudt but described by Weber (1886) for Hyperoodon, passes continuous 

 with the papillae within the ovarian funnel along this band towards the rostral pole of 

 the ovary. Further, this band spreads out in a triangular manner (Fig. 13 g), so that one 

 angle of the triangle is attached to the posterior pole of the ovary as a strong ligament, 

 and the other is attached to the anterior face of the uterine cornu as a thin transparent 

 sheet. From the posterior pole of the ovary a short transparent band (about 2-6 cm. 

 long in the 2-1 m. foetus) runs dorsally on to the uterine cornu (Fig. 13 h). This band, 

 according to Daudt, is the ligamentum ovarii, but that author describes it as passing on 

 to the ventral face of the uterus. Daudt further described (p. 301) a transverse fold 

 passing from the ovary to the oviduct ; but this was not seen during the present work and 

 Schulte did not find it in the foetal Sei whale examined by him. A strong fold runs 

 outwards and backwards from the posterior pole of the ovary over the dorsal surface of 

 the ligamentum latum (Fig. 137). It carries the blood vessels and nerves to the ovary 

 and represents the mesovarium. Ventrally a strong fold, as described by Daudt, passes 

 from the beginning of the uterine cornu over the expanse of the ligamentum latum back 

 to the inguinal region. This is the ligamentum teres uteri (Fig. 12 e). Besides some 

 minor folds which radiate away from the ovary and form the attachment of the ovary to 

 the parietes there is a forwardly directed major fold — the plica diaphragmatica. This 

 runs forwards from the ovary lateral to the kidneys (Figs. 12 b, 21/), and diminishing 

 in height, merges with the lining of the abdominal cavity in the neighbourhood of the 

 diaphragm. A constant feature of the origin of this fold from the ovary is a lobe of fatty 



