of the Fishery Bowrd for Scotland. 291 
— 
one genital aperture (.-ap.). In the cod each ovary or testis is supported 
to the roof of the abdominal cavity by a mesentery, which is attached 
longitudinally to the swim-bladder. The stomach and gut are similarly 
supported by a mesentery that hangs between the genital mesenteries. 
All three mesenteries are together connected to the union of the two 
ovaries (or testes). The rectum is supported by mesentry to the inferior 
part of the united ovaries. The two ovarian mesenteries are continued 
posteriorly as a single mesentery joined superiorly to the roof of the 
abdominal cavity, and extending to the hind extremity of the post- 
abdomen, where it unites with the peritoneum. The hind lobes of the 
ovary are attached, one on each side, to the mesentery. ‘This mesentery 
also includes the ureter and urinary bladder, and binds them to the floor 
of the post-abdomen. The post-abdomen is thus divided longitudinally 
into two quite separate compartments. 
This arrangement was found to hold exactly in the case of the second 
hermaphrodite specimen. The mesenteries were arranged quite normally. 
Since they are similarly arranged in both sexes, the substitution of one 
half of the ovary by a testis did not involve any obnormal arrangement 
of the mesenteries, 
When the wall of the ovary near the genital aperture was dissected off 
it was seen (fig. 5) that the vas deferens from the hind part of the testis, 
viz., V!.D!., and that from the main testis, V.D., opened into a common 
chamber, marked sm. in the drawing. The wall of this chamber is 
smooth ; it is open below to the eggs in the ovary. Alongside the base 
of the ventrally descending portion of the testis the tissue is deeply 
honeycombed, and divided up with a network of stout fibres (h.-c.). 
The passage of the sperms to the exterior appears to be as follows :—They 
pass from the upper smooth part to the honeycombed region, which pro- 
bably acts as a sort of seminal receptacle, and from thence pass out along 
the smooth lower wall to the genital opening (g.ap.). The wall of the 
ovary near the genital aperture is smooth on the inside, whereas all the 
remaining wall bears the ovarian folds. The smooth part forms a gather- 
ing place for the ripe eggs, where they may collect away from the develop- 
ing eggs, and when they may lie ready to be expelled. The smooth part 
of the skin of the ovary is shown in fig. 1, sm. In fig. 5, which shows 
the dissection of the hermaphrodite roe, the deflected sides are shown to 
be on one side partly smooth and in part covered with ovarian folds (0v,/.), 
and on the anterior side smooth (sm.). The smooth parts are the 
oviducal part. 
It is clear that in the asymmetrical hermaphrodite both male and 
female organs will be functional, but it is also evident that they will not 
be simultaneously ripe. In this case the testis is much further from 
ripeness than is the ovary. Even although they should be ripe simul- 
taneously, it is possible that the elements might not mix much, because 
there is room for the ripe eggs to collect on the opposite side of the ovary 
to that on which the testis is. 
In the first case, where the testis is attached to the anterior end of the 
ovary, the former was farther from being ripe than was the ovary. It is 
not likely that the sperms would be able to penetrate the ovary so long 
as the ovary is large and distended. And as the facts indicate that the 
ovary will be ripe first, it is conceivable to regard the uvary as function- 
ing later in the spent condition as a vas deferens. 
Masterman* described two cases of hermaphroditism in the cod in the 
Thirteenth Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, Pt. II11., 
p- 297. He also cites a number of other cases. In none of these wasa 
condition found similar to either of the specimens described above, In 
