| OCR Text |
Show 1 9 0 4 .] OX THE " BREPJIOS'; IX A SKINK. 145 4. Note on an apparently Abnormal Position of the " Brephos" within the Body of a Skink (Ghalcides lineatus). By F r a n k E. B e d d a r d , M.A., F.R.S., Prosector to the Society. [Received May 11, 1904. J (Text-figure 25.) Among a number of examples of the Lizard Ghalcides lineatus which arrived in the Society's Menagerie on May 3rd, one was found to be dead on its arrival. On opening the Lizard, which proved to be a gravid female, a possible cause of death was at once obvious. The reptile presented a case of what may be called extra-uterine pregnancy, and may have been unable to get rid of the two young ones. That is, at any rate, one way-and perhaps the most probable way-of interpreting the following facts. The Lizard itsell measured 12 inches in length, including the tail, and the young ones were of the same size, and measured within a very few millimetres of 3^ inches*. I did not attempt a more exact measurement, as they were somewhat twisted. The yolk-sac was not fully absorbed, and formed a string-like appendix of about | inch in length. In other respects these foetuses were exactly like the parent and obviously, at the very least, ready to be born. Neither brephos was within the oviduct. Both lay, in fact, apparently in the body-cavity. The position of one of them is shown in the accompanying drawing (text-fig. 25, p. 146), which was made before the relations of surrounding organs were much disturbed. Its head lies not far from the head of the parent; the end of the tail is nearly on a level with the posterior extremity of the liver. The second brephos lay much further back, but I cannot give exact details, as it was liberated on cutting open the body-wall of the parent. Both young ones lay in a slight spiral curve like the popular representations of a snake. There are some other facts of interest in connection with the abnormal situation of the two young Ghalcides. The ovaries contained numerous round white eggs, the largest of which did not measure more than 2 mm. in diameter. I presume, therefore, that they are not nearly ready for fertilisation. The two oviducts were in a condition corresponding to that of the two ovaries. They showed no signs whatever of having recently contained eggs or embryos. Nor, on the other hand, was there anything in the least abnormal about them or their drawn-out peritoneal orifices. They were quite un injured by my dissections. It seems to me, therefore, to be indisputable that at least a great part of the development of the two embryos must have taken place outside of the oviduct or oviducts. And it is remarkable that this took so long in producing an injury grave enough to be fatal to the mother. Indeed, there were no signs whatever of pathological conditions * The Sciucidie are, at least for the most part, ovoviviparoua. P r o c . Z o o l . Soc.-1904, V o l . II. No. X. 1<* |
