200 
CHAS. H. O’DONOGHUE. 
interior of the pouch is extremely moist and has assumed a 
characteristic pinkish hue, and daring the last day or so a 
watery lymph-like fluid is expressible from the teats. At 
the time the young are born the pouch is extremely lax and 
moist, and although subject to considerable variations in size, 
is about 4-5 cm. in diameter by 2-3 cm. deep. 
The Cutaneous Glands of the Pouch Area. 
The tumidity is mainly due to the very great growth of 
the sebaceous glands, and these continue to enlarge until 
they reach their maximum size at just about the time when 
the embryos are becoming attached to the wall of the uterus. 
This point was reached in No. 14, where the sebaceous glands 
are seen to be of very great size and to occupy practically 
the whole of the space between the mammary glands and 
the skin (fig. 3). After this time they do not appear to 
undergo any further enlargement, but remain constant, not 
only during the remainder of pregnancy, but also for 
some months afterwards while the young are still using the 
pouch. This enormous development of the sebaceous glands 
is an interesting feature, and it appears to be one of the 
means by which the pouch is enlarged and deepened, and at 
the same time made more or less soft for the reception of 
the young. 
The sweat-glands again take part in the general growth, 
but do not undergo such a marked hypertrophy as the 
sebacous glands. They appear to reach the height of their 
activity while the ova are segmenting and while the blasto- 
cyst is being formed, and as a result of this activity the 
whole of the inside of the pouch becomes moistened with a 
somewhat greasy secretion. This activity is maintained 
throughout the remainder of pregnancy, although the glands 
appear to become slightly smaller, and so the inside of the 
marsupium is made moist to receive the young. The presence 
of this secretion no doubt facilitates the cleaning of the pouch. 
