26 
iin p er ce pt lbly into the single uterine tube. The walls of this tube are 
thicker than elsewhere. The single uterine tube traverses the whole length 
ot the tapering portion of the worm (20 mm.) as well as a portion of the body 
proper up to a point 40 mm. from the mouth. Thus the length of this single 
uterine tube is quite 40 mm. in length. The contents of this tube are 
mature embryos whose shells have been shed, and it is these which mve 
such a lively appearance to this part of the living worm. 
The uterine canal at this juncture swells slightly in size, the swelling 
measuring only 5 mm. in length. It then divides into two separate tube£ 
each of which again soon subdivides into two, making thus four separate 
tubules altogether. The distance from the bifurcation of the single tube to 
the point where these four tubules are formed is 20 mm. The four tubules 
which we may call the ovaries or ovarian tubes are much larger than the 
parent tube; in fact quite four times as broad. The ovarian tubes are 
twisted round one another in a spiral manner enclosing amongst them at 
places the brown coloured intestine which can easily be distinguished even 
through the undissected cuticle of the worm. These ovaries extend over a 
great length and terminate within a few mm. of the tail. There each tube 
ends blindly. 
In the adult female worm these ovarian tubes are always engorged with 
o\ a m different stages of development. The youngest ova are formed in 
the most distal portion from the budding of the germinal cells of the 
epithelium. As these ova travel forwards they get fertilised and undergo 
further development. So that as we travel forwards from the tail end to 
t ie genital opening, we find these ova in various stages of development. 
le mere simple cells at the distal extremity become encapsuled cells 
further on, encapsuled young embryos still further on, and finally younc 
wriggling free embryos with shells torn off in the single uterine tube! An 
instructive method of studying these various processes is to get a drop of the 
contents of the ovaries from different parts of the genital apparatus and 
examining them fresh. 
The total length of each of the ovarian tubes is not easy to determine 
but it cannot come approximately to less than twice the length of the worm 
lor not only are these tubes twisted, but are at places bent on themselves so 
as to occupy the body cavity to greater advantage. 
In fact so much pressure is exerted on the cuticle by these distended 
coils of the ovary, that a little rough handling is often quite sufficient to 
hurst the cuticle and rupture one or more coils, resulting in ova and 
embryos escaping in large numbers. 
Even submersion in a fixing fluid like weak formaline (2 per cent.) or 
alcohol (30 per cent.) very commonly causes the cuticle and ovarian tubes to 
rupture. 
Transverse Section. 
A transverse section of the worm about its middle shows little but the 
ovaries. These are so engorged with ova and embryos that every other 
organ is displaced to one side by them. 
A better idea of the relative position of the component parts is obtained 
when a section of the tumour itself is cut with the worm in situ , i.e. towards 
the cephalic region. 
