POLYGYRA ALBOLABRIS AND LIMAX MAXIMUS 257 



broadly pointed at the base, rapidly expanding, circular and con- 

 vex at tlie opposite extremity, having very much the appearance 

 of a composite flower. The ceca are sometimes simple, but usu- 

 ally bifurcate or trlfurcate. The ceca of each fasiculus connect 

 with a tube, which in turn connects with a duct leading into the 

 hermaphroditic duct. Each cecum seems to have four walls, form- 

 ing an inner and outer chamber (pi. 7, fig. 7), a tube within a 

 tube. In the outer chamber or tube are produced the ova and 

 in the inner, the spermatozoa. 



The hermaphroditic duct leads from the ovotestis to the uterus 

 and penis. It is an extremely convoluted organ, so twisted and 

 confused in P. albolabris as apparently to be composed of 

 short, cylindric, contorted tubes, agglutinated together. In 

 some other species of Helicidae and in L i m a x it is more 

 nearly straight, being flexuous, sometimes slightly folded or 

 spiral, but not convoluted. This duct is invaginated in the same 

 manner as the ovotestes, the outer tube carrying the ova and the 

 inner the spermatozoa. 



Just before reaching the albumen gland the hermaphroditic 

 duct becomes constricted into a delicate thread-like tube. It 

 then enters an accessory gland, which is somewhat the forrh of a 

 cornucopia, the large end of which is composed of several folli- 

 cles. The gland rapidly narrows to its opposite extremity. It 

 is partially imbedded in the substance of the albumen gland. 

 Its purpose has not been clearly determined, though from the 

 size and persistency it is undoubtedly important. At the small 

 extremity of the gland the male and female organs become sepa- 

 rated, the fallopian tubes passing into the uterine canal, and 

 the epididymis continuing as a spermatic duct on one side of 

 the uterine canal (pi. 7, fig. 1, 9, and pi. 14, 22). 



Albuinen gland. The albumen gland, which is situated at the 

 extremity of the uterine canal, is a large boat-shaped or lingui- 

 form gland, of a yellowish color (pi. 7, fig. 1, Uj). The walls of 

 the gland are composed of cells filled with albumen. The interior 

 of the gland is hollowed out by an elongate chamber or duct. The 

 function of the organ is to supply the ova with albumen. 



