64 G. W. SALISBURY 



Table II. A F.P., milliosmole concentration and the concentration of bulk 

 cations in male and female reproductive tract fluids and semen of the bovine 



" Salisbury and Cragle (1956). 



6 Salisbury et al. (1948). 



f Rothschild and Barnes (1954b). 



d Cragle et al. (1958b). 



° Olds and VanDemark (1957b). 



In Tabic II is shown, also, the concentration of cations (Na, K, 

 and Ca) making up the bulk of the mineral elements in fluids of the 

 male and female reproductive tracts. Also shown is their concentra- 

 tion in bovine spermatozoa expressed for comparative purposes on 

 the same volume basis. It should be noted that the K+ concentra- 

 tion in these fluids is several times higher than it is in blood. Note 

 the changes in the sodium: potassium ratio from the excurrent ducts 

 of the testes, through the epididymides, the ampullae, semen, and 

 the female reproductive tract. Potassium, in highest concentration 

 in the fluids of the excurrent ducts, is several times higher there than 

 is sodium (Salisbury and Cragle, 1956); whereas the reverse is true, 

 sodium concentration being several times higher, in the follicular 

 fluids (Olds and VanDemark, 1957b). The chloride ion is intimately 

 associated with sodium ion in the male tract fluids, the statistical 

 correlation being about 0.9 (Cragle et al., 1958a). It is nearly as 

 highly correlated with potassium but with opposite sign (Cragle 

 et al., 1958a), reflecting the opposing relationship of sodium and po- 

 tassium in maintaining osmotic balance (Cragle et al., 1958a; Roth- 



