473 



During the first four or five months after hatching the growth 

 of the oviduct and its ligaments is about proportional to the growth 

 of the rest of the body. With the approach of functional activity 

 (egg laying) the isthmus, albumen secreting portion and funnel of the 

 oviduct elongates considerably. This elongation includes the enclosing 

 peritoneum. At their attachments to the duct the ligaments, of course, 

 become elongated concurrently with the growth of the duct. At their 

 opposite margins the ligaments do not elongate relatively but instead 

 maintain the relations existing at the time of hatching. In other 

 words, the dorsal ligament maintains a line of attachment to the body 

 wall running from the caudal end of the body cavity to the fourth 

 thoracic rib. The free ventral margin of the ventral ligament elon- 

 gates very little during the growth period, but becomes thick and 

 muscular. The distance between the attachment of the dorsal ligament 

 to the body wall and to the duct increases, varying somewhat in 

 diiferent regions of the duct. The width of the ventral ligament from 

 its attachment to the oviduct to its free ventral margin increases 

 during growth except at its caudal end. Here the ligament becomes 

 simply a heavy mass of muscle. Thus at sexual maturity the oviduct 

 is suspended in a fold of peritoneum which remains short at its dorsal 

 and ventral margins but which is elongated where it encloses the duct. 



As a result of the enlargment incident to commencing functional 

 activity the albumen secreting portion and the isthmus are thrown into 

 convolutions. The anterior and posterior elongations of the funnel 

 increase in length. The peritoneum covering the uterus elongates 

 very little more than is necessitated by the growth of the body wall 

 from which it is suspended ^). In the region of the uterus the ventral 

 margin of the dorsal ligament is only a little longer than its dorsal 

 margin. 



Early in the study of the ligaments of the oviduct it became 

 clear that these structures contained a very considerable amount of 

 smooth muscular tissue. Special attention was then devoted to a study 

 of the character and distribution of this musculature. Both histological 

 sections and large surface mounts of the ligaments and adjacent ovi- 

 duct walls were employed. 



The muscle fibers of the dorsal ligament have their origins in a 

 line near the medial side of its dorsal margin. Here the bundles of 



1) The glandular surface of the uterus is increased by the elon- 

 gation of the inner layers of the o^'iduct which are thrown into folds 

 within the peritoneum. 



