In order to determine the leading term of the asymptotic expansion of the solution T we can no longer rely on standard methods. A close analysis shows that the degeneracy corres ponds exactly to the occurrence of a turning point in the terminology of the asymptotic theory of ordinary differential equations. The turning point encountered here is of a type which.is somewhat different thanishat customarily treated; in fact, it is of a somewhat simpler type. It is not diffi cult to obtain the formulas for the transition across such a turning point.