28o THE SALAMANDER 



2. The Ovaries. 



The ovaries (ov.) are paired and are either symmetrically placed 

 or else the right ovary is slightly anterior to the left, but the asym- 

 metry is not so marked as in the case of the male gonad. The actual 

 appearance and size of the ovary naturally depends on the season at 

 which the animal was killed, but, assuming it to be approaching 

 ripeness, it will measure about 30 to 35 mm. long and will contain 

 some 7 to 20 large eggs about 3 mm. in diameter surrounded by 

 numerous smaller ones. The eggs are very heavily laden with yolk 

 and have no black pigment but are deep yellow in colour. The ovaries 

 are supported by the mesovaria from the mesial side of the kidney, 

 and resemble those of the Frog in structure in so far as they are 

 enclosed in an ovisac which must be ruptured to allow the ripe eggs 

 to escape into the coelom. The internal openings of the oviducts 

 into which the eggs make their way, probably assisted by ciliary 

 action, are situated near the bases of the lungs as in the Frog. In 

 many, if not in all, females some vestiges of vasa efferentia and of 

 Bidder s duct (which are only functional in the male, see p. 286) may 

 be found. In any case these structures are hardly visible to the naked 

 eye and are best sought for along the mesial edge of the kidney 

 where the mesovarium is attached. 



3. The Fat-body. 



Th.G, fat-body (ft.b.) is markedly different from that of the Frog, 

 both in position and shape. In the female it is suspended from the 

 mesial aspect of the mesovarium and is a narrow ribbon-like structure, 

 golden-yellow in colour, containing numerous fat globules which 

 give it a spangled appearance. The seasonal variation in size is quite 

 inconsiderable, and according to Funke (i 899), it can have but small 

 influence as a somatic reserve. Apparently this function is mainly 

 undertaken by the liver, which, in Salamandra, is characterized by 

 a high fat content. Considerable fat reserves are also to be found in 

 the cavities of the bones, around the spinal ganglia, and in the con- 

 nective tissue between the muscles. 



4. The Oviducts (MuUer's Ducts). 



The oviducts (Mullers ducts) (od.) are a pair of white convoluted 

 tubes passing the whole length of the abdominal cavity. They are 

 never pigmented in the female. They open into the coelom at the 

 ostia tuhae (ost.od.i.) situated just lateral to the bases of the lungs, 

 and the ostia in turn expand into large funnels bounded by the 



