422 



MARIE A. HINRICHS. 



of the substance is necessary to activate than to agglutinate sperm. 

 The former alternative is probably correct. (See also Glaser. '21, 

 Woodward, '18, and Clowes and Bachman, '20.) 



Temperature, in combination with the effects of radiation, is 

 also a factor in determining the loss of agglutinating power and of 

 color. To illustrate: samples of egg- water were radiated at 38. 

 21, and 4 C. Table V. records the results of such experiments. 

 Only percentages of loss are given. 



TABLE V. 

 EFFECT OF RADIATION AT VARIOUS TEMPERATURES. 



At any given temperature, the rate of loss of color is slower 

 than that of agglutinating power ; also, the rate of color loss is 

 greater at higher than at lower temperatures, while the agglutinat- 

 ing power is lost more quickly at both high and low temperatures 

 than at sea water temperature. 



Normally the fertilizin content of egg-water is fairly stable, 

 particularly if the egg- water is covered with a toluol film to mini- 

 mize bacterial infection. (See also Lillie and Just, '24.) The 

 greatest falling off in agglutinating power of such a sample comes 

 during the first day or two, after which the agglutinating power 

 remains fairly constant. (See Fig. i.) 



The radiation of egg- water produces no significant change in 

 pH in either direction, although in some experiments a slight in- 



