QUARTERLY CHRONICLE OF MICROSCOPICAL SCIENCE. 17 
with the outermost layer of the seminal tubes, and also 
envelopes the blood-vessels. 
(6.) The lymph-passages arise partly in the mesh-spaces 
of the connective tissue enveloped in endothelium, and partly 
in the spaces of the individual lamelle of the walls of the 
seminal tubules. Proper lymph-vessels enclosed within tube- 
like walls do not occur in the parenchyma of the testicle. 
(7.) A capillary network of blood-vessels, lying in intimate 
connection with the membrana propria, is closely woven 
round the seminal tubules. 
(8.) The epididymis is not only an excretory tube, but 
also the place for the secretion of the fluid constituents of the 
seminal fluid (Dr. Stirling, in ‘ London Medical Record,’ 
1874, p. 321). 
4. Retrogresswe Changes of the Epithelial Cells in the 
Serous Layer of the Ovum of the Rabbit.—K. Slavjansky 
(Ludwig’s ‘ Arbeiten,’ vol. vi) describes the degeneration, 
called by him reticular (‘reticulare degeneration”), which 
the epithelial cells of the serous layer of the ovum undergo 
in their physiological development. During the development 
of the ovum, the epithelial cells of the part of the serous 
layer lying close to the umbilical sac become thin and flat, 
and in the cells themselves some transparent spots are to be 
observed. By-and-by the protoplasm disappears, and holes 
are observed in the cells. These holes gradually enlarge, so 
that, at last, in place of the epithelial membrane, there is 
to be seen a reticulum of the remains of the protoplasm of 
the epithelial cells, containing in some places the nuclei. 
There is thus established a physiological prototype for the 
pathological degeneration of the epithelium, described by 
Wagner under the name of fibrinous degeneration, in cases 
of croup and diphtheria (‘ London Medical Record,’ p. 226). 
5. Development of Seminiferous Tubes.—Sernoff publishes 
an abstract of a Russian memoir on this subject (‘ Central- 
blatt,’ 1874, p. 481). 
EMBRYOLOGY. 
Rhizopoda.—We have not space to do justice in the present 
number to the remarkable papers which have been pubtished 
during 1874 touching the fresh-water Radiolarians, tending, 
as these papers do, to establish and to extend the important 
series of facts which, it should be clearly understood, had 
been already published in this Journal by Mr. Archer, of 
‘Dublin, before the paper of Focke, and long before Greef’s 
first papers on the subject. 
