174 The American Naturalist. [February, 



If a female newt be examined during the months of May and June 

 spermatozoa will be found in the cloaca, not inside the mouth of the 

 oviduct as might be expected, but closely packed in the ducts of two 

 groups of gland-like structures situated in the cloacal wall just below 

 the entrance of the oviducts. The question as to how the spermatoai 

 find their way to these snug resting-places is an interesting one. 

 According to Mr. E. O. Jordan the explanation lies in what Pfeffer 

 calls "positive chemotaxis." lie think- it probable that the pelvic 

 glands of the female newt may secrete a substance — proteid or other- 

 wise — with a positively chemotactic effect and thus draw the sperma- 



During copulation both animal- are motionless, sometimes for hours, 

 with the exception of a fanning movement of the tail by the mak 



male passes gradually intr 



i a n 





violent 



wrongly stated by some autl 







ctend ove 



the climax of agitation the 



male 



leaves the fe 



slightly raised, his cloaca 



widi 



;]y 



dM. Tided 



protruding papilla.', waits fo 



r the 



ten 



iale to i; 



this and presses her head 1 



ightl 



v a» 



■Slinst the 



deposits a spermatophore 



ami 







centimeters, where, if the 



fema 





till eoliti 



a thick, irregular mass about six millim 



ting upwards from the base; and, borne oi 

 mately spherical mas- of -permatozoa about 

 ters in diameter, this mass being a sort of co 

 spermatozoa." 



After the male has deposited the first spei 

 ward with the female following him. In 

 brushes over the spermatophore and the ma- 

 to the cloacal lips and passes thence' into tl 

 chance of the spermatophore's fulfilling its D 



It is difficult to understand why the'-pcrm 

 the female cloaca rather than into the su 

 positively chemotactic influence is supposed 



