REPORT ON THE CIRRIPEDIA. 47 



peculiarity in their structure. The curious animal which Prof. Lacaze-Duthiers has 

 described as Laura gerardiw, and which according to him belongs to a distinct group of 

 abnormal Cirriperlia, has the female genital openings also in the basal segment of the fii-st 

 pair of legs. The peculiar position of these openings in this group would, however, 

 not be so strange, if it could be shown that the female genital apparatus in the case of 

 Cirripedia made use of a segmental organ. Now, I think everybody, who will study 

 preparations of the curious sack and the oviduct in relation to it, will be struck by the 

 totally different structure (l) of the oviduct, (2) of the sack itself, and (3) of the canal 

 or duct, short in Lepas and long in Scaljyellum, at the end of which the genital opening 

 is placed. To call the sack a widened part of the oviduct is not in accordance with 

 the condition of these parts at the place where they are in communication with each 

 other. Even in Lepas, where the communication is much more gradual than in Scal- 

 pellum, the place where the oviduct terminates and the sack commences is very distinct, 

 Since the duct by the aid of which the sack opens is a true epiblastic product, and is 

 lined by a thin chitinous cuticle, the sack, which is placed between it and the oviduct, 

 probably represents the funnel of the original segmental organ. Of course, this 

 suggestion is based on the occurrence of the other pair of segmental organs opening 

 at the base of the second maxillae described on p. 23 of this Eeport.^ The first pair of 

 segmental organs furnishes a direct communication of the body-cavity with the surround- 

 ing medium, the second serves for the evacuation of the female genital products. The 

 cells of the funnel of the first pair, probably, have an excretory function ; those of the 

 second pair have a more special function, — that of producing a viscous fluid for uniting 

 the eggs into egg masses. 



I hope I shall soon be able to continue these investigations and if possible to enlarge 

 them with the aid of fresh material. 



; ' ZooL Chall. Exp. part xxv, , 



