SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY. 133 



same time, so that the act of spawning extends over relatively 

 few days. In this specimen the eggs in the peripheral parts of 

 the affected ovary are quite normal for the stage of develop- 

 ment of the organ, and they look as if they would have 

 proceeded to complete maturation, but whether these ova 

 would have been spawned in the normal manner is, of course, 

 uncertain. 



The degenerative mass in the central part of the ovary 

 was evidently much harder than when it was examined in the 

 fresh condition by Mr. Bailey. After about two months 

 preservation in 5% formalin it had the consistency of hard 

 cartilage. It had rather the appearance of a fibrous cartilage, 

 except that it was yellow-brown in colour, and very finely 

 granular. Round the marginal parts there was a very evident 

 lamination, but in the central parts this was not at all distinct. 

 The mass was very irregular in shape so that the successive 

 sections through the roe presented very different appearances. 

 It seemed to be growing, or rather the degenerative changes 

 appeared to be proceeding, at different parts of the originally 

 unmodified mass of ova, so that here and there were small 

 masses of eggs surrounded by the new substance, and in some 

 of these small areas the eggs were breaking down, apparently 

 becoming transformed into the cartilaginous substance of the 

 neoplasm. 



Fig. 2, PL III, represents a hand section through the 

 margin of the altered substance. The unmodified ovarian 

 tissues are not shown, but the lower part of the figure is that 

 towards the external part of the ovary, and a single ovum, 

 not much modified, is shown. The section has been treated 

 with an aqueous solution of silver nitrate and then exposed to 

 light, dehydrated and mounted in balsam. The blackened 

 portion is the margin of the concretion : it is shown less 

 highly magnified in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 it is seen to be a 

 layer of some width, in which there is a sheet of some substance 



