MALE EEPEODUCTIVE SYSTEM 337 



c. The bladder is a thin-walled muscular sac, of 

 which the anterior end, in front of the pubic 

 symphysis, can alone be seen at this stage of the 

 dissection. 



2. The reproductive system. 



The testes, in early life, lie against the dorsal 

 wall of the abdomen, close to the kidneys. Before 

 maturity, however, they separate from the dorsal 

 wall, and, slipping down to the ventral wall, pass 

 along the inguinal canals into the scrotal sacs. 



a. The scrotal sacs are a pair of muscular pouch-like 



diverticula of the abdominal wall, lying ventral 

 to the pelvis and close to the median plane. 



Slit up one of the scrotal sacs along its ventral surface to 

 expose the testis lying in it. 



b. The testes. 



The testes are a pair of elongated ovoid bodies, 

 of a pink colour, varying greatly in size at 

 different times, and about an inch and a half in 

 length when fully developed. They are attached to 

 the bottoms of the scrotal sacs, but can be readily 

 pulled back into the abdominal cavity. 



c. The epididymes are a pair of irregular masses of 



convoluted tubes, lying along the inner edges 

 of the testes. Each epididymis consists of (1) a 

 soft pinkish body, the caput epididymis, in close 

 contact with the anterior end of the testis : (2) a 

 narrow band, extending backwards from the caput 

 along the testis : and (3) a larger, more conical, 

 and much convoluted body, the cauda epididymis, 

 lying at the posterior end of the testis, and con- 

 nected by a short cord, the gubernaculum, with 

 the bottom of the scrotal sac. 



The epididymes are the modified mesonephra 

 of the embryo, the tubules of which grow into the 

 testes, and so form the vasa efferentia, through 

 which the spermatozoa escape from the testes. 



