TONGUE WORMS : COLLECTION 703 



and saccular shape. The uterus arises from the junction of the ducts 

 of the spermathecae ; it is a long coiled tube, which in the mature female 

 is loaded with an immense number of ova and when stretched out may 

 measure (in Pr. pattoni] as much as six inches. It opens at the posterior 

 end just in front of the anus. The ova contain a central granular mass, 

 and are surrounded by a chitinous covering which is obviously designed 

 to prevent desiccation. 



The male reproductive organs consist of a median testis in some 

 forms (Lingiiatula) it is a paired organ a pair of spermatic ducts, an 

 accessory gland on each side and a paired penis of 



complicated nature. The testis, which is situated in Male re P podu <*ive 

 . . . , ... organs 



the same position as the ovary in the female, is a large 



white saccular organ ; it divides into two ducts (seminal vesicles, fig. 

 1, s. v.) which surround the intestinal canal and pass to the ventral surface, 

 where they end in a tubular dilatation which has attached to it a long 

 finger-like ejaculatory duct. From the upper end of the dilatation the 

 tube leads to a chitinous sac which has attached to it a coiled penis. 

 The organs unite and open at the genital pore, which is situated on the 

 ventral surface just below the cephalothorax. The method of copulation 

 has not been observed. 



DISSECTION 



All the organs of a linguatulid can be readily displayed by the 

 following method. Pin the specimen down in the dissecting trough, 

 ventral side upwards, with two fine pins ; one pin should be passed 

 through the cephalothorax well in front of the mouth and the other 

 behind the anus, so that none of the internal organs will be injured. 

 With a fine pair of forceps a bit of the integument is picked up and 

 snipped through with scissors ; one end of the cut is now elevated and 

 one blade of the scissors passed between the skin and the internal organs, 

 and the integument is slit up along the middle line. It should be 

 pinned out at intervals as shown in Plate LXXXVIII, fig. 1., and the 

 organs unravelled, care being taken not to damage either the uterus or 

 the intestine. Very beautiful sections may be obtained by cutting the 

 animal into small pieces and embedding them in paraffin, keeping 

 them as short a time as possible in the various fluids. 



COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION 



In tropical countries snakes of different kinds harbour species of 

 Porocephalus, and they are nearly always to be found in the lung. 



