NOTES ON STRUCTURE, ETC., OF ELEPHANT’S PLACENTA. 13 
of the layers to the foetal villi, and of the constantly lighter 
staining of the nuclei. The syncytial layer is less evident in 
the parts of region B nearer the foetal surface, and close to 
this surface may perhaps be absent. In fig. 11, which is 
nearer the maternal surface, the syncytial layer is evident and 
shows a decided marking out into cell areas. Compare figs. 
11 and 12, which are of the same magnification. We find 
blood-corpuscles abundant between the maternal vessels and 
the syncytium in the parts close to the maternal surface of 
region B, and in many places also towards the fcetal sur- 
face. The amount, however, diminishes very much the more 
distant the spot is from the region OC, which is the line of 
rupture. We regard most of this extravasated blood as 
being probably due to the violence of parturition. 
The maternal blood-channels are filled with blood-corpus- 
cles, except the sinus in which the lobate terminations hang, 
which being open to the torn surface is not distended with 
blood. It contains coagulum and some corpuscles, together 
with the detritus as described above. 
We can detect no difference between the red blood- 
corpuscles, which are spherical within the maternal channels, 
and those in the fcetal capillaries. There are no nucleated red 
corpuscles. The maternal stream contains many more white 
corpuscles than can be found within the foetal vessels. 
In the fibrous tissue of the larger foetal villi there are 
irregular lymph spaces, which contain some coagulum, and 
numerous leucocytes (fig. 6), but no red blood corpuscles. 
Pigment. 
The general brown colour of an unstained piece of the 
placenta is due to the presence of dark brown or yellow pig- 
ment granules. These are of various sizes, and the larger 
ones are distinctly spherical with clear centres; that is to 
say, the pigment is deposited somewhat unevenly upon the 
periphery of minute spheres. 
