Heprod^iciire Or(/ans of S-jwrns Ceniroduntus. 25 



tion, which is more intense in the anterior half of the ovary, is mainly 

 on the dorsal, outer, and ventral sides. The side of the ovary which 

 is applied to the other ovary has little pigment. A row of small dots 

 was observed along the course of the principal blood vessel. In some 

 large ovaries which had been preserved, no black pigment was made 

 out. 



The ovary consists of a sac which encloses the lobed mass of ovarian 

 tissue. The latter is attached to the wall along a narrow strip 

 merely (Fig. 72). The greater part of the wall does not bear ova. In 

 Lophms* one half of the ovarian walls bears no ova. In Fig. 84 the 

 wall {w.) of the ovary has been slit longitudinally to expose the ovarian 

 mass {ov.). The groove {ovd.) is the opening of the oviduct of the 

 other ovary. The v\-all which is opposite to the other ovary is 

 supplied with large anastomosing blood-vessels (Fig. 85). The vessel 

 V. is attached to the mesentery. A vessel runs down the oviduct ; it 

 may go to the urinary fringe. 



The immature ovary is colourless. A fish measuring 32 cm. in 

 length had in May a very small immature oxq,\'j. Great rolls of fat 

 were present in the abdomen. 



When the ovary is ripening it is yellow. The colour is due to the 

 presence in the ova of yellow oil globules. In September a developing 

 yolked ovum, preserved, measured -37 x '3 mm. ; it had a large 

 number of oil globules irregularly grouped (Fig. 74). The little eggs 

 projected like bosses. Fulton* describes the eggs of Lophius 

 piscatori'us as projecting on stalks. The follicle is, like the stroma, 

 composed of little cells \sf.). The follicle appeared to be two-layered, 

 an outer smooth and an inner bossed layer. Some of the ovaries had, 

 during this month, eggs measuring '85 mm. in diameter, e.g., e, Fig. 

 88. The old follicles, which denote a previous spawning, are shown 

 (/?.). Another view of a portion of a ripening ovary is seen in Fig. 

 94. The larger eggs are now stalked. 



In October very similar conditions are met with. Two ripening 

 eggs, the largest of which measured '5 mm. in diameter, are shown in 

 Fig. 93. The processes (pr.) observed among the eggs are doubtless 

 shrunken follicles. The eggs are developing along the side of a 

 vessel that has thick walls. The eggs seem to lie inside the wall (e, 

 Figs. 91 and 92) ; the inner layer (vas.) appears to be vascular. 



Ripening eggs in Januar\^ measured from '4 to I'O mm. in 

 diameter. The eggs were opaque yellow, and A^ere still in the 

 follicles, which are well supplied with, blood vessels. The eggs, l-O 

 mm. in diameter, broke away easily from the stalks. An opaque egg 

 1-0 mm. was filled with a yolk consisting of distinct corpuscles 

 which separated readily when the egg was torn open. The 

 corpuscles, which were round and oval, measured about "05 mm. 

 in greatest extent. The immature egg ('2 mm in diameter) is filled 

 with minute oil globules, that give it an appearance recalling the egg 

 of the eel. 



In February and March the eggs measuring from -8 to 1*2 mm., 

 still in follicle, showed a central mass of oil globules, and a clear rind 

 outside it. The latter in some instances appears to consist of round 

 yolk corpuscles. Each egg had at least one big vessel attached to it. 



*Fulton — "The Ovaries and Ovarian Eggs oi Lophhcs piscatoiius and of 

 Zeusfaher." 2 pi. 16th Ann. Repurt of the Fishery Board for Scotland, for 1897, 

 Part III. 1898. P. 125, ei ser/. 



