1897J MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 215 



staininate plant (tree) which reverts, abnormally pro- 

 ducing stamens that have an ovary in combination, or 

 that assume the pistil form altogether. Such stamen- 

 ovaries were circulated, by the present writer, in the club 

 boxes many years ago. 



It is an interesting question whether in the case of our 

 slide the element of nutrition can possibly be the deter- 

 mining agency, the food-supply in this particular lobule 

 or sack being greater or less than usual, as the case may 

 be, or otherwise better suited to the making of ova than 

 of spermatozoa, and thus causing this strange growth. 

 It will be noticed that the mother cells of spermatogenesis 

 which in all the rest of this testis have abundantly per- 

 formed their work and filled the cavities and canals with 

 spermatozoa, and have themselves almost entirely disap- 

 peared, have in the lobule occupied by the ovum apparent- 

 ly suffered an arrest of development, and remain in the 

 lobule which is otherwise comparatively empty of male 

 products. Was the nourishment just here unsuited to 

 them, or was it so appropriated by the ovum that enough 

 was not left for them ? 



The scarcity of spermatozoa in the immediate neighbor- 

 hood of this particular ovum seems to render its fertili- 

 zation improbable ; and the apparently exhausted stock 

 of food-supply in its lobule, and the absence of congested 

 blood vessels prepared to supply the rapidly increasing 

 demand of a devoloping ovum, seems to imply that this 

 ovule would have shriveled and disappeared from the 

 field of activity of this organ. But an imperfect or par- 

 tial development of an ovum migiit conceivably take place 

 sometimes without fertilization, and might easily go far 

 enough to demoralize an organ so little adapted to ovula- 

 tion as the testis is. On the other hand, if by some extra- 

 ordinary chance spermatozoa should be developed within 

 access of such an ovum and fertilize it, why should not a 

 (truly) "extra-uterine" pregnancy be established in the 



