In the sheep and goat, the epithelium covering the tips of the caruncular villi forms __1__. These are masses of cells that lose their __2__ where they lie in contact with each other; they appear as large, multinucleate cytoplasmic masses surrounded by an outer __2__. The presence of the __1__ creates the impression that the chorionic epithelium lies against the maternal connective tissue between these masses. However, the uterine epithelium covering the masses remains intact.