THE OVARIES 519 



own side, so that only the rounded distal portion is visible in most 

 preparations. At the lower end of the vasa there is a short but wide 

 chamber in the middle line, which communicates below with the penis ; 

 neither the vasa nor the ducts of the accessory glands, however, open 

 directly into this chamber, but lead into it by fine ducts, four of which 

 can be traced within the wall in suitably stained preparations. They 

 have not been followed to their ultimate terminations. 



The reproductive organs of the female present an extraordinary condi- 

 tion of affairs. Unfortunately the authors, in discussing this problem, 



are at a great disadvantage in not having been able to , 



... The female organs 



consult the original papers in which the matter has 



been dealt with by Berlese and Carazzi ; their own observations, more- 

 over, are not in accord with the account given in Berlese's book, a fact 

 which makes it still more undesirable to make definite statements with- 

 out a much more exhaustive study than could be undertaken in the time 

 available. A brief description of the anatomy of the parts, with an 

 account of Berlese's views as given in his book, and some original obser- 

 vations, must suffice for the present. It should be noted that Berlese's 

 account refers to Cimex lectularius, not rotundatus. 



The ovaries (Plate LXV, fig. 4) do not present any special features. 

 Each consists of seven ovarioles, each ovariole having an independent 

 ovarian tube, those of each side uniting to form a single channel, which 

 in turn joins its fellow of the opposite side to form a common oviduct. 

 This leads directly to the genital aperture. Berlese describes and figures 

 two spermathecae, but there are certainly none in rotundatus, though, 

 as will be seen later, there are accumulations of sperms, in the position 

 in which one would expect to find spermathecae, which might easily 

 be mistaken for them. The separate ovarian tubes show, as a rule, 

 only two follicles each. The lowest one contains a ripe or nearly ripe 

 egg, having the same appearance as the egg when laid, the slight bend 

 in the length and the flattened upper or cephalic end being clearly 

 discernable. It is unusual to find all the eggs in the lowest row of 

 follicles at the same stage of development, the variation in size being 

 a striking feature when one compares the ovary with that in the 

 Diptera. Many eggs (fig. 5) contain well developed embryos, in which 

 the pigmented eyes can be clearly seen, and in one case an embryo was 

 found so far advanced that it had actually thrust off the cap at the end 

 of the egg, although still contained in its follicle. Mature eggs are often 

 found in the lower part of the ovarian tube, presumably left behind at 

 the last act of oviposition, so that one tube may cofttain two mature ovai.. 



