ABSTRACT
Strive's statement ("The oviducts of the Amphibia are long, tubular and highly convoluted organs located in the abdominal cavity and serve to provide the eggs with a covering") points at the crux of his own as well as the efforts of previous researchers to understand structure and function of the amphibian oviduct. One of the most significant functions of oviductal secretions already had been recognized, however, by 1851 when Newport investigated "impregnation" of amphibian eggs ("It is not until the ovum has been clothed in the oviduct with its gelatinous envelope that it is susceptible of impregnation. This remark applies equally to the Frogs, Toads and Newts." Newport 1851, p. 182). These statements are still valid.
