Abstract A patient is described in whom the only thyroid tissue present was a mass approximately 4 cm. in diameter situated high up in the neck and just lateral to the laryngeal prominence of the thyroid cartilage. Degenerative changes in this ectopic gland were marked. An ectopic gland in such a position has not previously been described in euthyroid adults. The embryological development, functional activity, and pathology of ectopic thyroid glands are discussed.