462 



Mr. IT. A. Bay lis on a 



consist of a non-staining-, clear, structureless substance, in 

 close contact with the tall columnar cells lining the sperma- 

 thecal duct. Into its outer portion each of these cells sends 

 a finger-like or clavate protoplasmic process (fig. 7, Pr.). 

 Beyond this process there are sometimes visible traces 

 of a cavity in the matrix, from which the process has 

 evidently just been withdrawn, and which is doubtless filled 

 with secreted matter which has not yet become solidly fused 

 with the rest of the wall of the tube. When the spermato- 

 phore is dissected out from the spermathecal duct, and the 

 epithelium of the latter teased off with needles (an operation 

 which it is not easy to perform completely, owing to its very 



FH 



BM 



Portion of the lining epithelium of the duct of the sperraatheca. 

 B.M., basement-membrane; M., secreted matrix (wall of 

 trumpet-shaped tube); N., nucleus; Pr., protoplasmic pro- 

 cesses secreting the substance of the tube. (Cam., oil-imui. 

 n V"> oc. 2 Zeiss.) 



close adherence), some of the protoplasmic processes are 

 torn out, but the majority of them are broken off from 

 their cells and remain embedded in the matrix of secreted 

 matter. It is these processes, I believe, which give the 

 wall of the spermatophore its mosaic-like appearance when 

 viewed from the outside. Beddard considered that this tube 

 was probably of chitinous nature ; but, owing to its being 

 considerably softened and alcered by caustic potash, I am 

 inclined to think it is of a less hard material. 



The trumpet-like tube is filled with slightly eosiuophilous 

 matter of a yellow colour and a stratified appearance, down 

 the centre of which there is a very narrow lumen, containing 



