Genital System of the Myxinoidea Jl 



In his paper of 1886.2 fp. 70), Cunningham wrote as follows: — 



Among the hundreds of specimens which have passed through my hands I have only 

 succeeded in identifying eight males, and these are all very immature. It is a matter of 

 difficulty to recognize the immature testes in these young males, and some few young male 

 specimens may have escaped my recognition, as the matter requires careful examination 

 with the microscope. 



He published figures of the testis after sectioning, and as they agree with illustra' 

 tions shown by other authors, he was undoubtedly correct in his identification of the 

 testis. He wrote further (1886.2, p. 71) : — 



After identifying the male organ and investigating its structure, I was surprised to 

 find that in nearly all specimens with very immature eggs the posterior portion of the 

 sexual organ had the same structure as the testis. This testicular portion occupies about 

 two inches of the posterior end of the sexual organ, and I have only found it in specimens 

 in which the eggs were very small, that is, less than 4 mm. in length. 



Cunningham illustrated sections of the posterior end of the sexual organ in these 

 latter specimens, and they revealed the same follicular structure as the testes in the young 

 males. In one of these specimens he found spermatoz,oa which he illustrated in his Fig. 

 14; but spermatozoa were not present in quantities which he thought sufficient for 

 fertilisation. 



In February, Max Weber (1887.1) presented a paper before the Nederlandsche Dier' 

 kundige Vereeniging regarding the sexual organs of Myxine glutinosa in which he criti' 

 cised Cunningham for not giving credit to W. Muller for his contributions upon this 

 subject. Weber doubted the abundance of hermaphrodites claimed by Cunningham to 

 be present among Myxine and the occurrence of active spermatozoa in the specimens ex' 

 amined by Cunningham. Weber made his investigations upon eels caught at Alvar' 

 strommen, near Bergen, Norway. 



In March, Cunningham (1887.1) replied to Weber, admitting that he had overlooked 

 W. Muller 's paper and the fact that the latter author had described the testis in Myxtne 

 glutinosa. He added (p. 243): 



But the discovery of hermaphroditism in Myxine, of the abundance of hermaphrodite 

 individuals and the probability of nearly all females being hermaphrodite when young, 

 was made by me; and the spermatozoa, with stages in their development were also described 

 by me for the first time. 



In a later paper, in June of the same year, Cunningham (1887.2) stated that any 

 doubt regarding the abundance of hermaphrodites and the presence of living active 

 spermatozoa in them could be dispelled by the examination of any dozen Myxine taken at 

 random. Weber replied m May of the same year (1887.2), stating that his investigations 

 were not sufficiently complete to justify taking a position either for or against the existence 

 of hermaphroditism in Myxine glutinosa. 



