KEPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM 117 



Place a small piece of the hermaphrodite gland on a sUde 

 in a drop of water : tease it slightly : cover ; and examine 

 with low and high powers. 



The gland consists of a number of finger-Uke 

 follicles, in each of which ova are developed in the 

 outer wall, and spermatozoa in the more central 

 part. The ova are large round granular cells, with 

 very large reticulate nuclei : the spermatozoa, which 

 are generally aggregated in wisp-like bundles, have 

 small rod-like heads and very long tails. 



2. The hermaphrodite duct is a very sinuous duct of a 



whitish colour, lying along the inner side of the spire 

 close to the columella, and opening into the inner 

 side of the albumen gland. 



3. The albumen gland is an elongated compact yellowish 



white body, varying greatly in size at different times. 

 It Ues in the upper half of the first turn of the spire 

 along its inner side, between the stomach and the 

 left lobe of the Uver. 



4. The common duct arises from the end of the albumen 



gland, close to the point of entrance of the herm- 

 aphrodite duct, and runs forwards through the body 

 almost to the head, lying along the right side of the 

 crop and oesophagus, and slightly ventral to these. 



It is very wide, and along the greater part of its 

 length is incompletely divided by a longitudinal 

 septum into two parallel ducts. Of these one, the 

 walls of which are thrown into very numerous and 

 prominent transverse folds, serves for the passage of 

 the ova ; whUe the other, which transmits the sper- 

 matozoa, has a comparatively smooth surface, but 

 has its walls thickened by a whitish glandular pro- 

 static mass. At their anterior ends the two ducts 

 separate completely from each other as oviduct and 

 vas deferens respectively. 



Slit open the common d/uct longitudinally ; and note the 

 septum, which partially divides it into male and female ducts- 



