Anomalies in the Genital Organs of Toads. 161 
14); more rarely these bodies are separated as shown in Fig. 3. 
I have found one instance only in which there were three Bidder’s 
organs at the anterior end of a sex-gland (Fig. 16). Abnormalities 
of this type can doubtless be ascribed to the mechanical effect of 
pressure exerted by some structure on Bidder’s organ at a very early 
period in its development. 
In many individuals one or more rounded bodies, similar in 
appearance to the normal Bidder’s organ although usually much 
smaller, appear along the course of the sex-gland (Figs. 1, 2, 5, 8, 
ete.). Structures of this kind may occur on any part of the gland, 
and they are found in both sexes, although they are, perhaps, more 
common in males than in females. The probable origin of these 
bodies will be considered later. 
Fig. 12 shows in outline the most interesting of the anomalies 
found in the genital organs of young toads. On the left side Bidder’s 
organ appears much enlarged and greatly elongated; on the right 
there are four rounded Bidder’s organs lying one behind the other. 
Sections of these bodies show that each has the structure typical of 
a normal Bidder’s organ. As in this individual the ovaries were not 
more than one-half of their normal length, it is evident that some 
of the germ-cells in the anterior part of each ovary became incor- 
porated with Bidder’s organ and assumed the characteristics of 
rudimentary ova. A somewhat similar case in which the anterior 
part of a testis has been changed into a Bidder’s organ is shown in 
Fig. 16. Abnormalities of this kind can hardly be due to any 
mechanical cause, although possibly a lessening of the normal blood 
supply to the anterior part of a sex-gland might induce such changes 
which undoubtedly must be considered as degenerative in their 
character. 
In all of the cases so far described, and in many others of the 
same general character, sections were made of the genital glands 
and the anomalies appearing in them carefully studied. All enlarge- 
ments of the sex-glands, no matter what their position or their size, 
were found to contain large cells having all of the characteristics of 
the rudimentary ova of which the normal Bidder’s organ is composed. 
If there are two Bidder’s organs at the anterior end of a sex-gland, 
