HEEMAPHEODITE GENITALIA OF THE CODFISH. 541 



In all six specimens wMcb I have examined, both ovary and 

 testis bore the normal characters and appearance ; and in Mr. 

 Chappel's example, which reached me fresh, and unpreserved, the 

 colour and general relationships of the organs were in every 

 respect normal, and identical with those described by Max 

 Weber {I. c. p. 24). Indeed, except for an important diffif?rence 

 in the contents of the two {cf. infra, p. 542), and for the presence 

 of a remnant of the genital duct, his detailed description might 

 serve for the right half of my own specimen. The general 

 characters of the several specimens enumerated differ most 

 conspicuously in respect to the degree of backward prolongation 

 of the ovaries beyond their point of union. In this, however, as 

 in the inequality in length of the ovaries of opposite sides, there 

 is nothing whicli changes consequent upon extrusion of the ova, 

 together with the ordinary limits of individual variation, will not 

 explain. And, moreover, the facts above tabulated clearly 

 indicate that, in the Cod, the differentiation of a testis on the 

 one or other side does not lead up to a corresponding reduction 

 of the ovary. Eather the contrary {cf. fig. 1). 



The genital organs of the Codfish are so well known, and Max 

 Weber's description cited is so complete, that it is only necessary 

 here to dwell upon certain special details of the specimens 

 alluded to above. Firstly, as to the duct connecting the ovary 

 and testis. Max "Weber alludes to it {I. c. p. 24) as the " vas 

 deferens — i-eally a tube," &c. ; he figures (pi. iii. fig. 2) a style 

 passed into it, but tells us nothing of its orifice of communication 

 with the ovary. In his drawing it is represented as skirting the 

 inner two-thirds of the attached border of the testis ; in my speci- 

 men {d.t., fig. 1) it was much shorter, and the testicular substance 

 was set upon it in the manner of a rosette. On laying open the 

 duct I found it to be a spacious tube {d.t., fig. 2), honeycombed 

 in the manner of that of the normal male, over its upper and 

 inner areas. Its lower moiety was longitudinally subdivided by a 

 kind of septum («'.), which shut off a small orifice placing it 

 postero-exterually in communication with the interior of the ovary. 

 There arose from the postero-interual wall of the ovarian capsule 

 a stout membranous fold {v''.), which projected inwards and 

 passed, for a distance of 1 centim., towards the orifice of com- 

 munication with the testis-duct ; on neariug that it expanded 

 to form a well-marked valve-like structure. It would thus 

 appear that not only was there present a duct competent to 



