fit. B. Kirk. — On the Anatomy of Sepioteuthis bilineata. 153 



From the saccular portion, near the opening of this dilatation, springs 

 the duct of the " prostate " (c). The wall of the " prostate " contains a 

 network of branching and interlacing fibres. 



The " prostate" gland differs from that of S. brevis, Owen, where it is 

 described as an " oblong, blind, glandular sac." Loligopsis ocellata, Owen, 

 too, shows a blind sac with a single duct for ingress and egress. Indeed 

 this character seems common, so far as I have been able to discover ; but 

 the species at present under notice differs widely in having the " prostate " 

 a thickened tube or canal with ingress at one end and egress near the other. 



The duct of the " prostate " (fig. 1 c) is slender, and has transparent 

 walls. It leads to the receptacle of spermatophores, into which it opens 

 near its upper end. 



The receptacle of spermatophores (b) is a large sac with thin transparent 

 walls, and is usually packed with spermatophores and loose spermatozoa. 

 It opens by a wide mouth into the penis (a) of whose base it appears to be 

 a simple dilatation. 



The penis tapers gradually towards its opening, which has an uneven, 

 almost fringed margin. 



When in situ the vesicula seminalis and the duct of the " prostate " lie 

 parallel to each other along the receptacle of spermatophores, to whose 

 walls and to each other they are held by a membranous connection. The 

 whorls' of the prostate are held together by similar connections, so closely as 

 to require the exercise of the utmost care to sever them without injury to 

 the organ. The vesicula, duct, and receptacle of spermatophores thus held 

 together lie transversely to the axis of the testis. 



Spermatophores (pi. vi., figs. 8-7). — A common length of the spermato- 

 phores is about 9 lines, but this is often exceeded. The shape varies 

 somewhat, but the general outline is the same. One end is thickened, 

 often club-shaped, or with a knob ; from this end the spermatophore 

 tapers, but as the opposite end is approached there is often a slight dilata- 

 tion and the end is obtuse, never, so far as I have been able to observe, 

 filamentous. The outer case is transparent and of tolerable consistency. 

 The thick end is mainly occupied by a sac containing spermatozoa, which 

 extends for varying distances, but seldom, if ever, half the length of the 

 spermatophore. To this sac is attached a sponge-like body of definite 

 though slightly varying shape, resembling the turned handle of an awl. 

 This body fits into the spermatophoric tube like a piston. From it 

 extends towards the thin end of the tube a flat spirally coiled thread 

 enclosed in a transparent case. The thread may extend to the thin end of 

 the spermatophore and be there attached, or it may extend nearly to the 

 end and then be recurved, or it may not extend right to the end. 



