156 Veterinary Obstetrics 



In rare cases, the ovaries are displaced by passing beyond their 

 normal adult position and, escaping through the abdominal ring, 

 come to rest in the region corresponding to the scrotum of the 

 male. However, this false position does not interfere with their 

 function, like the abdominal retention of the testicles. 



Freemartins. In bovine twins, we meet, frequently, with an 

 interruption in the sexual development of one of the pair, which 

 is generally known by the term " freemartin." The general be- 

 lief among breeders is that when both twins are of the same sex 

 they are normally developed but that, when one is a male and the 

 other a female, the latter undergoes an arrest in development and 

 becomes a freemartin. As a matter of fact, this is not always 

 true and a pair of twins representing both sexes may be com- 

 pletely developed and capable of breeding, but very largely the 

 rule holds that a freemartin is one of a pair of twins, the 

 other of which is a perfect male. 



The origin of this peculiarity has not been well determined. 

 While similar arrests in, development are seen occasionally in all 

 species of animals, whether twins or not, there is no other in- 

 stance where such a condition is expected with such regularity. 

 It is a quite possible that the defect is due to the fact that, in 

 such cases, we have to do with homologous twins which have 

 originated from the division of a single ovum, after impregnation, 

 and that one of these has suffered from an arrest in sexual devel- 

 ment. Why the other should be always, or usually, a male has 

 not been discovered. 



The character of these animals is generally quite uniform In 

 form, voice, behavior and other attributes they are frequently 

 asexual. The head and neck partake neither of the character of 

 the cow nor bull, but remind one more of an animal which has 

 been castrated very young and has developed no sexual charac- 

 teristics. The horns are fine, usually straight and not very 

 large. The head and neck are fine. They behave and feed like 

 castrated animals, and usually show no trace of sexual desire. 



Examined externally, they usually show at the ordinary loca- 

 tion of the vulva a small urethral opening, having the general 

 appearance of that organ, though very diminutive. 



Examined internally, the genital organs are generally found 

 to have been arrested in the indifferent stage of development 

 where the sexual characters are not yet far enough advanced to 



