94 ANATOMY OF THE RAT 



terior to the ovary along the lateral surface of the 

 kidney. 



A pair of pockets, corresponding in position to the 

 inguinal canals of the male, extends backward from the 

 abdominal cavity. These pockets are probably the homo- 

 logues of the male vaginal sacs, and therefore probably 

 correspond to the ddverticula of Nuck in man. The mesen- 

 tery whose attachment runs along the posterior third of 

 the broad ligament's lateral surface, and terminates in 

 this diverticulum, is doubtless the round ligament. Are 

 these diverticula found in all female rats? 



Slit the anterior end of the uterus and locate the open- 

 ing of the uterine (or Fallopian) tube. This tube carries 

 the ova from the ovary to the uterus. The aperture is 

 small but may be found fairly easily, in a uterus contain- 

 ing large fetuses, near the anterior end of the uterine 

 horn, for the tube runs in the wall of the uterus a short 

 distance before opening into it. The ovary, the gonad of 

 the female, is incased in a tough transparent capsule, the 

 hursa ovarica. The periovarial space lies between the bursa 

 and the ovary. Trace the coiled uterine tube. It is said 

 to be from two and a half to three centimeters long, and 

 to contain from eight to ten fairly constant major loops. 

 The tube pierces the bursa ovarica and projects into the 

 periovarial space as the infimdihulum tuhae. The epi- 

 thelial lining of the infundibular section of the tube bears 

 long cilia. This is the only ciliated region of the tube. The 

 wall of the tube contains muscles, which are best developed 

 toward the uterine end. Slit open the ovarial capsule and 

 observe the corpora lutea on the surface of the ovary. Each 

 corpus luteum marks the point at which an egg bursts 

 through the wall of the ovary during ovulation. The 

 ovary is attached dorsally to a strong tendinous band of 

 connective tissue which extends in the broad ligament from 



