Kendall. — New England Chars 103 



the abdominal cavity corresponding with the ventral sur- 

 face of the air bladder. The ovary was stated to be cov- 

 ered on its inner surface by the peritoneum and that the 

 outer face gives rise to a great number of ovigerous 

 lamellae which are disposed transversely to the length of 

 the organ and perpendicularly to its body. Before going 

 further into this subject, it may be well to state that the 

 folds or projections of the peritoneum, the lining of the 

 visceral cavity, support and more or less attach to each 

 other the organs within the cavity. It may be likened to 

 a membranous sack with no opening which, placed in the 

 abdominal cavity, forms a lining of two coats and by pro- 

 jecting folds invests, or partly invests, or is attached to 

 some of the organs, forming their support. The fold 

 which proceeds from the dorsal area of the cavity and 

 supports the ovary is known as mesoarium or mesovar- 

 ium. In the Salmonoid fishes then, according to the au- 

 thorities named, this mesoarial fold covers the inner sur- 

 face and extends around the lower edge and for about 

 one-quarter or one-third of the height of the outer sur- 

 face of the ovary, thus leaving the laminae on this outer 

 side free or exposed without covering. However, in the 

 case of the smelt, it was shown that the inner mesoarial 

 covering continued, not in the narrowing band mentioned 

 by Rathke in the other salmonoids or as a dorso- 

 ventral partition, but a short distance back of the pos- 

 terior end of the ovary it folded over and became attached 

 to the lateral abdominal wall, thus forming a funnel- 

 shaped channel, the wide mouth of which was close be- 

 hind the ovary and the small end joining with the cor- 

 responding one on the other side in a common outlet at 

 the ovipore. The lower portion of this oviduct, therefore, 

 accordding to this idea, was formed below by the exten- 

 sion of the peritoneal or mesoarial fold and above by 

 the abdominal wall. 



The idea that the eggs of these fish were deposited free 

 in the abdominal cavity has been handed down from 

 Rathke to the present day in all literature pertaining to 

 salmonoid fishes. Do not understand that I am going to 



