70 J. T. CUNNINGHAM. 



such as are found in very small females, the eggs in the fresh 

 state are spherical and quite clear, showing the germinal vesicle 

 somewhat eccentric in position, and clear protoplasm all round. 

 Fig. 6 represents a stained preparation from the ovary of a 

 specimen only six inches in lengthy which was taken in an eel- 

 trap, July, 1885. The free edge is marked x, the attached y ; 

 the eggs extend almost up to the attached border, the meso- 

 arium not being yet developed. 



Male Organs. — We pass now to the consideration of the 

 male sex. It is a curious and hitherto unexplained fact that 

 the male Myxine is very seldom taken. Among the hundreds 

 of specimens which have passed through my hands I have 

 only succeeded in identifying eight males, and these are all 

 very immature. It is a matter of some difficulty to recognise 

 the immature testes in these young males, and some few young 

 male specimens may have escaped my recognition, as the matter 

 requires careful examination with the microscope. But it is 

 certain that the vast majority of the specimens which I have 

 obtained have been females with large eggs in the ovary, eggs 

 varying from 1 to 20 mm. in length. The same experience 

 has been recorded by others who have occupied themselves with 

 the subject, and until I engaged in the research no one had seen 

 the ripe spermatozoa of Myxine. My examination of the 

 young male convinced me that Johannes Miiller was dealing 

 in his description with specimens in a similar condition to my 

 own, but his account of the minute structure of the testes is 

 inadequate. His figure of the male reproductive organ in its 

 natural size and in situ is perfectly correct, and on this point 

 I must be content with a reference to his figure. The organ 

 is similar in general arrangement to the ovary : it lies along 

 the right side of the body, the organ of the left side not being 

 developed, and it consists of an extremely thin flat mesor- 

 chium, with a slightly thickened free border. In this border 

 the male elements of reproduction are produced. When a 

 piece of the border is cut out and examined under a low power 

 of the microscope in the fresh state the thickened border is 

 seen to consist of connective tissue containing a number of 



