THE RABBIT. 



125 



is prolonged into an erectile projection, the penis, at the 

 end of which is the urogenital aperture. There are a pair 

 of Cowper's glands, like those of the female, but a much 

 larger glandular mass lies 

 at the dorsal and posterior 

 side of the uterus mascu- 

 linus; this is called the 

 prostate gland. 



6. Perineal Glands. 

 In both sexes there is 

 present, a little behind 

 the urogenital aperture 

 and close to the anus, a 

 pair of hairless depressions 

 of the skin the perineal 

 pouches into which open 

 the ducts of the perineal 

 glands, which secrete a 

 fluid of powerful odour, 

 which serves as a means 

 of attracting the attention 

 of one rabbit to another. 



Another large gland, the rectal gland, so called from its 

 position just dorsal to the rectum, serves the same purpose. 



7. Mammary Glands. In the skin of the ventral 

 region of the female special glands are found, which under- 

 go considerable enlargement at the time when the young 

 are born, and secrete a nutritive fluid milk which 

 supports the young until they are in a position to feed like 

 their parents. These mammary glands appear (from their 

 mode of development) to be highly specialized modifica- 

 tions of the sebaceous glands which are found in connexion 

 with the hairs (fig. 13). They occur in a very imperfect 

 and f unctionless condition in the male also 



Fig. 05. REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF MALE 

 BABBIT. 



Side view 



