ONYCHOPIJORA OF WEST AUSTRALIA. 



383 



From tlie fact that sperms are found throughout the ducts of 

 the female I have no doubt that females are impregnated through 

 the vaginal aperture. 



Accessory Ducts, etc. — The crural glands of the last legs of the 

 male are modified as already pointed out. The minute duct, 

 which opens in the usual place, luns into the central body-cavity 

 and enlarges to form a thin-walled vesicle which runs forwards 

 as far as the antepenultimate leg or tiiereabouts. It walls and 

 contents (see PL IV. iig. 10) ai'e similar to those of the normal 

 crural glands of the anterior limhs. 



Two other accessory glands, the anal glands, open in close 

 proximity to the male i'e])roduetive opening, and slightly posterior 

 to it. Fiom each opening a narrow duct passes laterally under 

 the nerve-cord and then turns dorsally and inwards and for- 

 wards, gradually widening until a rather wide sac is produced 

 (PI. I. fig. 3, An.GL). 



These glandular sacs are rather prominent in transverse 

 sections near the posterior end of the animal (PI. Y. figs. 19 

 and 20, An.GL), and are easily picked out by reason of the 

 intensely vacuolated cells which form their walls. The contents, ^ 

 too, are very granular and deeply staining (see PL Y. fig. 21). 



The Beprochtciive Organs of the Female. — Tiie ovaries of the 

 West Australian Per ijxito ides agree with those of the other 

 Australian forms and with the Cape and New Britain species in 

 having thin walls, so that the developing eggs come to hang- 

 freely in the central division of the body-cavity (PL 1. fig. 2, 

 Ov.). From each organ an oviduct (Ovid., PL Y. tig. 22) leads 

 forwards for a short distance to open into a, large and fidly 

 developed receptaculum seminis by two ducts (Pis. I.,Y. figs. 2, 22, 

 Rec.Sem.). It is true that the receptaculum may reach a much 

 larger size in September-November, but it is none the less a 

 well defined permanent structure at all times. 



The oviducts, which open into the two ovaries, unite for an 

 extremely short distance at their origin and then separate again 

 (PL Y. fig. 22). Their course is then amidst the convolutions 

 of the slime-glands for a short distance to the point whei-e each 

 communicates with a receptaculum seminis. This first section of 

 the oviduct is characterised by somewhat thick walls, the epi- 

 thelial cells are deep and crowded together, the lumen of the duct 

 usually appears restricted (see PL Y. fig. 23). 



As Willey noted in the case of Feriixttus novm-hntannioe., the 

 walls of this first section of the ovi(luct difier from those of 

 the rest of the genital duct. Y-^illey (13) termed this portion the 

 infundibulum, and remarked that the striking contrast between 

 the infiuidibula and the ovarian tubes seen in P. novce-hritatinice 

 has not been remarked in other species. 



The infundibula of the West Australian Peripatoides do not 

 differ materially from those of P. novce-hritannice. So far, 



