408 EAYMOND PEARL AND M. R. CURTIS 



'shrinking' no doubt accounts for the beUef of the early workers 

 that extirpation of the oviduct caused degeneration of the ovary. 

 Our experiments on the removal of the oviduct do not bear upon 

 this point since at the time the ducts were removed (cases 15 to 

 20) the sex organs were in infantile or non-laying condition and 

 they were not examined for at least seven months after the 

 operation. Cases 2 and 5, however, show that the ovary may be 

 in full functional condition 13 days after the funnel is ligated. 



THE EFFECT OF INTERFERENCE WITH THE OVIDUCT UPON THE 

 SECONDARY SEXUAL CHARACTERS 



The early workers Yarrell ('27), Bland Sutton ('85), and 

 Brandt ('89) state that the removal of the oviducts is followed 

 by the assumption of male secondary sexual characters by the 

 female. The belief of the early workers that removal of the 

 oviduct caused the degeneration of the ovary no doubt led 

 them to misinterpret the normal growth of the comb, wattles, 

 and spurs, as the assumption of male characters. 



None of the birds from which we removed or otherwise in- 

 terfered with the oviduct showed any tendency to assume male 

 characters. At the time of autopsy they were as female in all 

 secondary sexual characters as normal birds. This result also 

 agrees with those of Sellheim ('07). He summarized the results 

 of his experiments as follows: 



Damit istfiir die Henne der Beweis geliefert, dass die Entfernung 

 des Legdarmes keine schadliche Wirkung auf die Funktion des Eier- 

 stockes ausiibt. Dass die Legdarmresektion in ihrer Wirkung einer 

 Kastration gleich setzen sei und dass die sekundaren Geschlechts- 

 charaktere, Bartlappchen, Kamme, Sporen, Gefieder, Beckenform, 

 Stimme, benehmen gegen das andere Geschlecht nach der Exstirpation 

 des Legdarmes sich andem, ist reines Phantasiestiick. 



THE EFFECT OF THE LIGATION OR REMOVAL OF THE FUNNEL 

 UPON OVULATION 



Coste ('74) describes the infundibulum embracing the ovarian 

 yolk in its follicle directly before the time for ovulation. The 

 same phenomenon has since been observed many times by other 

 workers, including the authors. So far as is known the in- 



