REPRODUCTIVE ELEMENTS IN MYXINE GLUTINOSA. 73 



observed in Myxine is that the spermatozoa are attached to 

 the spermatoblast by the tails, and not by their heads, as usually 

 occurs. I found no cases in which large numbers of sperma- 

 tozoa were united in bundles such as occur in most animals ; 

 there were never more than two spermatozoa connected with 

 one another or with a spermatoblast. The spermatozoa were 

 contained in the capsules of the testicular tissue, and it is thus 

 proved conclusively that the spherical cells usually found in 

 these capsules are really spermatoblasts. In the fresh prepara- 

 tion from which fig. 15 was drawn, although none of the 

 spermatozoa showed any motion, the protoplasm of the cell 

 represented at a was slowly vibrating. In two other herma- 

 phrodite specimens, one obtained in March, I have found a 

 few spermatozoa, which in one case exhibited a slow vibratory 

 movement of the tail. But I have found no more satisfactory 

 evidence of the process of spermatogenesis. In all the cases 

 the number of spermatozoa was not large, and it is difl&cult to 

 believe that fertilisation is effected by such a meagre produc- 

 tion of spermatozoa as was seen in the specimens I have 

 mentioned. In no case have I discovered any trace of sperma- 

 togenesis in a specimen which was completely masculine. 



In all specimens of Myxine with well-developed ovarian 

 eggs which I have examined, with one exception, no testicular 

 portion was present in the sexual organ. The only conclusion 

 I can draw is that in the young state the females are nearly, 

 but not quite always hermaphrodite, and that the testicular 

 portion normally disappears as the eggs become more mature. 

 It seems probable that fertilization is normally effected by 

 hermaphrodites, since true males are so rare. 



In the exceptional instance above mentioned, I found, to- 

 gether with large ovarian eggs in the anterior part of the 

 sexual organ, the posterior portion, two inches in length, 

 much thicker at the free border than either the true testis or 

 the male part of the immature hermaphrodites. But in this 

 portion, when examined by means of prepared and stained 

 sections, I found, instead of the structure already described in 

 the testis, a general cellular structure in which no definite 



