88 
triangular in shape, being narrow in front and suddenly broadening behitid, evi- 
dently having already discharged the eggs from the anterior part of the joint, Avhile 
generally proglottides deposit their eggs only after they are free. In other speci- 
mens these last joints, being yet quite 
full of eggs, are more oblong, even with 
the transverse diameter longer than the 
longitudinal. In either case the proglot- 
tides are very loosely connected with each 
other. In relation to the genital organs, 
we have mentioned above the yellowish 
spot lying near the middle line in the an- 
terior part of each joint, and it is for this 
we have called the species flavopunctata. 
These spots are the testicles [seminal re- 
ceptacle, see p. 89 ] , appearing under the 
microscope as a globular gland, with 
another smaller one attached to it; this 
latter one runs out, toward the side of the 
joint, into a long, slender canal, in which 
lies the penis. The genital openings are 
situated all on one and the same side of 
the worm, while in all true Tfcnias (see 
p. 51, note) known thus far, they are found 
irregularly, now on one, now on the other 
side. The configuration of the uterus, 
also, differs greatly from that in tlie gen- 
uine Tsenias. There is no main stem in 
the midst with lateral branches, as in the 
latter; but, on the contrary, the eggs are 
crowded over the whole joint. It some- 
times appears as if they were arranged in 
straight lines along the joint; but this is 
certainly owing only to the regular lines 
of muscular contractions. Only fresh 
specimens can decide ultimately the 
structure of the uterus. From a careful 
dissection of the younger joints, we should 
judge that it consists of globular blind 
sacs, located here and there in the joint, 
and connected by fine tubes terminating 
finally in the vagina. The most charac- 
teristic feature in this worm is its eggs, 
the number of which may be counted by 
thousands in each ripe joint. They are 
very large, measuring 0.054 mm. in diam- 
eter, and under a low power of the micro- 
scope appear as transparent balls with a 
yellow dot in them. With a higher 
power, we easily distinguish three dis- 
tinct eggshells (figs. 9, 1, a, b, c). The 
outside shell is translucent, elastic, cracking in sharp angles under pressure, and only 
0.0007 mm. thick; this shell is folded by application of glycerin. The second shell 
is membranaceous and irregidarly wrinkled, thinner than the first, and immediately 
attached to it. This second shell, showing through the first, gives to the whole sur- 
Fig. 70 . — Hymenolepis diminuta. Natural 
(After Gfrassi, 1888 1, pi. 11, fig. 1.) 
size. 
