THE URINARY AND GENERATIVE ORGANS, 331 



drical cavity several inches in length, and opens into the 

 uterus by a round opening called the mouth of the womb, 

 which is naturally open, but becomes closed after impregna- 

 tion. Its shape corresponds with the extremity of the penis, 

 and these parts come into contact in the act of coition. The 

 womb consists of a body and two branches or horns. It has 

 the same number of coats as the bladder, but they are much 

 stouter and more so than those of the vagina. Attached to 

 the extremity of each horn by a membranous substance are 

 two red bodies called the ovaries, each of which consists of 

 a number of ova or eggs, the germs of the offspring, one of 

 which on being impregnated escapes into the uterus, and 

 thus, in the course of time, becomes a young animal ; some- 

 times, indeed, two or even three ova may be impregnated, 

 and twins or triplets are produced. 



The testicles, or stones, as they are commonly termed, are 

 two oval glands situated in the scrotum, a sort of bag formed 

 by the skin and two membranes within, which are so dis- 

 posed as to form two separate cavities, each containing a 

 testicle. The testicles are first formed in the abdomen of 

 the foetus, and each possesses a covering closely attached to 

 the gland. They escape from the abdomen through the 

 openings called the abdominal rings and take with them por- 

 tions of the peritoneum, the membrane which lines the abdo- 

 men and its contents ; thus it is that they possess two coats 

 besides the skin. The abdominal rings remain open after- 

 wards, contrary to what takes place in the human subject, 

 so that a fluid can be injected from the scrotum into the ab- 

 domen, and thus it is that sometimes after the operation of 

 castration inflammation takes place and spreads upwards 

 into the belly and destroys the lamb. In those cases where 

 portions of the intestines are found in the scrotum they es- 

 cape from the abdomen, together with the testicle, and the 

 case is denominated congenital hernia. The testicles are 

 also each connected with the belly by means of the sper- 

 matic cord, which consists of a long slender muscle, nerves, 

 veins, arteries, and a strong hollow tube called the spermatic 

 duct. It is the latter which conveys the seminal fluid se-- 

 creted by the singular structure of the testicle into the ure- 

 thra, where, after mixing with other secretions from some 

 small glands, it is forcibly ejected by the muscles of the 

 penis in the act of copulation. 



The testicles are very large in proportion to the size of 



