28 
Fridtjof Nansen. 
[No. 7. 
seemed to be thicker than they generally are in common testes. 
Upon the whole, these organs gave me the impression of being in 
a somewhat degenerated or rudimentary state. 
The mixed reproductive organs of some hermaphrodites were, 
in several respects, similar to these organs in the males. The an- 
terior portion of the reproductive organ of these specimens con- 
tained ova as well as testicular capsules mixed. Fig. 9 & 10 are 
transverse sections of this portion of the organ in such a specimen, 
o, v, are transsected ova; c,a, are the testicular capsules. The testi- 
cular capsules are generally situated nearest to the free border of 
the organ, with the ova inside them (cf. fig. 9), but sometimes ova 
also occur outside the capsules (cf. fig. 10). The testicular capsules 
have a structure very similar to that of the portion of the repro- 
ductive organ of the male (cf. supra). As before mentioned, the 
specimens with mixed reproductive organs, as here described, form, 
in my opinion, transition-stages between the common hermaphrodites 
and the so-called »true« males, and both of them are transformed 
hermaphrodites. 
As regards the time at which Myxine deposits its ova, this is 
already discussed by Cunningham and Max Weber (Zool. Anz. 
1887). It seems from that discussion, as if CUNNINGHAM was dis- 
posed to change his view that Myxine has a limited breeding- 
season. Indeed, I think it is now proved that Myxine deposits its 
ova all the year round. On opening specimens of Myxine, it is 
easily seen that there always, in summer as well as in winter, are 
some specimens with very large (up to 24 mm.) and nearly mature 
ova, whilst, at same time, we may find other specimens with ova of 
every smalier size. This, already, makes it probable that there is 
no limit of season when the ova become ripe. But, besides this, 
Cunningham, as well as my seif, have found recently » spent « females 
with large empty ovarian capsules at various seasons of the year, 
in the autumn as well as in the winter and summer. The few 
deposited ova the locality of which is known, were tåken in the 
summer, the Gothenburg ova were found in August, at Lysekilen, 
and the Bergen's Museum ovum was tåken by Dr. DANIELSSEN at 
Molde in the summer of 1857. 
When we also consider the time at which the male repro- 
ductive elements are ripe, we find the same irregularity. At every 
season of the year you may easily find hermaphrodite-males with 
nearly ripe reproductive elements. 
