OYUM IN THE CAPE AND NEW ZEALAND PERIPATUS. 287 



between the two sides of the ovary throughout their middle 

 region is by means of the wall of the pericardium to which 

 they are both attached. The yolk is coloured yellow. There 

 are never any spermatozoa in the ovary, these being in the 

 receptaculum seminis, which is present in this species. In all 

 but a very few cases I have found the receptaculum tightly 

 packed with spermatozoa. 



Ovarian Ova. — As in the other species the ova arise from 

 the nuclei of the germinal epithelium. 



The youngest egg which I have observed was situated on the 

 outer side of the germinal epithelium bordering on the body- 

 cavity. The protoplasm, which was granular, formed a narrow 

 band surrounding a nucleus which stained more deeply, and 

 was coarsely granular. A nucleolus was present, placed almost 

 centrally. 



The egg grows in size, both nucleus and cell-substance 

 taking part in the process. The nucleus acquires a vacuolate 

 structure, the substance between the vacuoles staining deeply 

 and having a homogeneous appearance ; the nucleolus also has 

 grown slightly. The egg projects from the ovary, being situa- 

 ted at the end of a short stalk which is formed from some of 

 the cells of the germinal epithelium. 



The egg continues to grow, and a further change takes place 

 in the character of the nucleus, which consists in the aggregation 

 of the deeply staining vacuolated tissue towards its periphery, 

 thus leaving a small central area round the nucleolus. 



This aggregation progresses still farther and the tissue loses 

 its reticular character and forms for the nucleus a solid widish 

 wall, which is homogeneous and stains deeply. The centre of 

 the nucleus does not stain, with the exception of an irregular 

 faintly staining reticulum, and the nucleolus which is placed 

 about in its centre. The nucleolus is round, stains very 

 deeply, and contains some small vacuoles and a number of 

 small round bodies which stain even more deeply and are very 

 highly refractive. The egg- protoplasm at this stage is granular, 

 and contains numerous verysmall yolk-globules, which resemble 

 those which are present in the Cape species at a similar stage, 



