114 



s. fiOTO. 



nfici" nil iiot r-le:)i' Id me wlmt tlie p.ntlioi' iiu'-ins wlicu lie s])c;ik.s of n 

 " futiclc " CO lit: lining' nuclei mikI (»f :i layer of finely o-faimlnr, or. as he 

 savs. lioinou'eneoiLs sulistancc liniiiii' a ca,vit_v as heinii' of a connective 

 tissue nature. ('oni}iarati\'e considerations seem tome to compel ns to 

 reu'ard the wall of the ootv]> of Miviocôiijh' and ('((lienliilc as consistinii' 

 of a tiMie e]>irli('linm ; onlv in the case oï 'rrlslmumii the ccll-boundai'ies 

 lia\(' coni])letel\'. and in that i)i' ( hiclincohih' ])artl\'. disa|)]H'a)'('d. 



In 'J'n'shnninii the mesenchvma around the ootvp presents an 

 a])|)eai'anc(' \ei'y diffci-cnt frc^m that of the rest. AVhere the 

 gcnei'al mescncliNina consists of a tihroiis coiuieciiNc tissue, the 

 reti(ailum is a]\va\s mncli looser around tlie ootvp th-ui in the otlier 

 ])arts. In Trist. siiiiKilinii in wliidi. as alread\' desci-il)c(h the meseii- 

 cJiNina consists of a svncvtiiun. the ])a"rt around th(> ootvp contains 

 îuniiei'ous ca\ities se])arated from each othei' hy a thin lay<'i' 

 of )lie svncvtiimi (PI. XXII. i\[S. 4). 4'his loose portion of the 

 mesenchvma is. in all the species. surrounde(l hy a layer o{' muscadiu" 

 fihres, \vhi<-li ai'e of two soils, those which run ])arallel to tlie leiiii'lh 

 of the ootvp an<l those lliat run in a dorso-Ncntral direction. 44ie 

 lafica- lihres ai'e no otlier than the dorso-Ncntral tihi'es of IJie hody. 

 44ie fwo sets oi' tihres are also ])resenl around the uterus, and therelore 

 the 1'artlier course of the li<vrizontal fihres will he au'ain treated of 

 nndca- that head. They e\idently serNC hy their contraction to «Irisc 

 out the e^'u" from \\\o ootv]». 



Returning" to the oot\]) of MoUDcniiih' and CnJicDh/lt' and consider- 

 ing" the ap])e:u'ance and I'caction towards colouring' fluids ol ihe cells 

 thai consliliile its wall, one is, I think, strong'ly tem])ted to sns- 

 ]>ect tlieir g'landidar nature. Put as the shell-g'lands are ])resent (Mit- 

 side tlie ootvp, \ can not conceiNc any ])urpose they mig'ht sei-\e 

 in case ol' their heing' really g'lands. 44iey a.re prohahly a simjile lining- 

 epithelium, of which, hc.wever. the charactca- has undca-g'one a certain 



