202 MR. F. E. BEDDARD ON [June 17, 



examined, the wide mouth of the spermathecal sac was seen to be 

 blocked by an irregularly crinkled mass of a brownish-yellow 

 coloui'. The appeai'ance presented was of a number of earth- 

 particles adhering' to the orifice in question. This, however, 

 proved to be not "the case ; for it was possible to seize hold of the 

 irregular mass with the forceps and draw it ovit of the sperma- 

 thecal sac. It has then somewhat the form of an acorn (text- 

 fig. 52) and was of about the size of a grain of millet. 



When the spermathecal sac is cut open, the single spermato- 

 phore-case was seen to entirely fill the cavity of that sac, which is 

 indeed stretched to contain it. The end of the case protruded a 

 little way beyond the mouth, and this free end was the irregularly 

 shaped brownish-yellow mass seen on an external inspection to 



Text-fiff. 53. 



\ 



B 



Spermatoplioral case of PoJytoreutus keni/aensis : (A) removed fi'om spermathecal 

 sac ; (B) its contents (a mass of sperm-ropes) removed entire. 



block the mouth of the sac. The part lying within the sac was 

 smooth in appearance but hard to the touch ; it gradually 

 diminished in calibre to the end lying fui'thest from the mouth of 

 the spermathecal sac. The exact measurements of the entii'e body 

 were 2 mm. It seemed quite clear, even on a naked-eye inspection, 

 that this body must be a spermatophore (text-fig. 53) (or perhaps 

 a parasite) lying within the spermathecal sac. A study of its 

 histological chai-acter appears to prove conclusively that this is the 

 propel' interpretation of the case. It is doubtful, how^ever, whethei- 

 it is permissible to call this body a spermatophore, seeing that the 

 thin worm-like bodies which I have already desciibed in this 

 genus and in the present species seem to merit that name. We 

 may, however, leave the consideration of this matter until after 

 describing the histological characters of this case imbedded in the 

 lumen of the spermathecal sac. The hard consistency of this body 

 caused some little difliculty in pi'ocuring entire sections. How- 

 ever I have not found it impossible to piece together mentally the 



