6S 
other animal, for the simple reason that they are also in- 
ternal, yet it was conceivable that they represented 
enormously modified and hypertrophied ova, which had 
become detached from the genital stroma (germinal epi- 
thelium) when very young, had been carried about— 
absorbing a great quantity of nutriment which had formed 
the remarkable chromatic development-—and thus finally 
grown into these huge cysts.* Unlikely as this hypothesis 
might at first sight appear there were two or three points 
in favour of it, and I have, therefore, carefully considered 
it. For one thing, the resemblance between the nucleus 
of one of these bodies and that of a flounder’s egg is quite 
striking. Though differing greatly in size (and I may 
here say that the diameter of a cyst averages about four 
times that of a normal egg, and the nucleus is relatively 
larger), their structure is practically identical. Indeed, 
the nucleus reminds me more of a germinal vesicle than 
anything else. It is not like a Protozoan nucleus, that of 
a Gregarine being the only one which can be compared 
with it, from which this differs chiefly in relative (to say 
nothing of absolute) size, and in the ill-defined mem- 
brane, lacking any marked affinity for the chromatin 
stam. ‘The outermost layer (ect.) would also serve for a 
thick egg-membrane, but in noue of my sections is any 
radial striation visible, correspondimg to the “zona 
radiata’ of the eggs, although I. should add_ that 
Sandeman meutions and figures something of the kind 
in his deseription. The chief difference is in the cortical 
zone. Whereas, in an egg, the cytoplasm is filled with 
large, spherical, refringent, oil or fat globules, there is not 
the least sign of such in the cortex of these bodies 
*T should prefer to think of their origin thus (z.e., from differentiated 
ova, however small), than to suppose they had originated from wander- 
ing (‘‘ vagrant ’’) indifferent germ cells,—because of their single and 
markedly ovarian nature. In the latter case, there would more 
probably have resulted (by proliferation) ‘‘ cell-nests”’ of ordinary 
indifferent cells. 
