46 Unusual Modes of 



body gave no other indications of the changes about to take place 

 than of being quite vascular ; the skin was perfectly smooth, no 

 " pores " were visible, but a large vessel w^as seen emerging from 

 the region of the liver, and descending along the median line gave 

 oflf branches quite freely to the integuments. This may have some 

 relation to the future development of the pedicles which support 

 the eggs and perhaps to the nutrition ot the embryo as will be 

 adverted to hereafter. 



In all the specimens which I have had an opportunity of exa- 

 mining, the eggs were either somewhat advanced or quite mature ; 

 so that no observations could be made on the earlier conditions 

 of the Qgg and the formation of its pedicle. The pedicle is a flex- 

 ible outgrowth from the common integuments, is about two lines 

 in length, is attached to the skin by a slightly expanded base, and 

 spreads out at its summit into a shallow cup or " cupule," for the 

 support of the Qgg* It is composed almost entirely of fibrous 

 tissue, invested with a layer of tesselated epithelium. In some 

 instances when the eggs were but little advanced, numerous fusi- 

 form cells were detected among the fibres. It is vascular, two or 

 three vessels reaching to the cup, where they ramify and form a 

 somewhat extended capillary plexus. 



The eggs vary according to the degree of development from 

 the 0.09 to 0.15 of an inch in diameter, and are covered with an 

 external homogeneous membrane, containing minute punctiform 

 depressions — within this is a second, of a brownish color and com- 

 posed of epithelium. The embryos which were the most advanced 

 and just ready to hatch, had not as yet completely absorbed the 

 yolk, and were coiled up within the membranes, which in conse- 

 quence of the irregularities of the mass formed by the embryo, 

 had no longer a spherical form. 



The eggs are retained in connection with the cup apparently 

 by adhesion alone, for as soon as the foetus escapes, the Qgg mem- 

 branes become very easily detached from the pedicle, and this 

 last as shown by some of the specimens undergoes absorption. 



The relation of the embryo to the parent in this singular mode 

 of gestation cannot be determined very accurately, but the vascu- 

 lar plexus in the cup, seems to be more than is necessary for the 

 mere nutrition of the part. The Qgg increases in size during incu- 

 bation, those ova in which the development had but slightly ad- 

 vanced measuring from 0.09 to 0.11 of an inch in diameter, while 

 those nearly mature measured from 0.14 to 0.16 of an inch. 



