I4O LOUISE B. WALLACE. 



The above-mentioned facts have necessitated a careful re- 

 examination of the whole subject of degenerating cells in the 

 spider testis and after a brief review of the work of other writers, 

 I shall give my present interpretation in the light of recent study 

 upon this point. 



Many of the earlier workers upon spider spermatogenesis have 

 observed and described numerous, granular, protoplasmic bodies 

 in the lumen of the testis, in the sperm ducts and pedipalps and 

 also in the receptaculum seminis of the female spider. Most of 

 them agree that these granules or granular masses have a nutri- 

 tive function but they account for their origin in various ways. 

 In Tegeneria, Bertkau ('77) believed that they arose from certain 

 granular cells of the testis and sperm -ducts. Schimkewitch ('84) 

 describes two kinds of cells in the testis of Epeira. Those at the 

 posterior end, according to him, develop into spermatozoa. 

 Those at the anterior end and also cells of the sperm ducts give 

 rise to roundish or oval granules. In Lycosa, Birula ('94) found 

 granular masses which were derived from the fragmentation of 

 some of the follicle cells. On the other hand, Balbiani ('97) 

 arrived at the conclusion that the spider testis is supplied with 

 gland cells which pour out a secretion in the form of little 

 granules. Wagner ('96^) maintained that the remains of the 

 spindle fibers and Zwischenkorper fragment to form the " granules 

 seminaux." Later appeared Bosenberg's paper ('05) in which I 

 find statements which exactly accord with my earliest conclusions 

 that the ripe sperm-cell works its way out of the cell-body and 

 that the latter is left to degenerate. 



" In der letzten Phasen der Umformung der Spermatiden in 

 das Spermatozoon wies ich nach, dass der Kopf des Spermato- 

 zoons mit dem Schwanz das Cytoplasma verlasst, welches dann 

 in Form von grossen, runden Ballen im Follikel zuriickbleibt. 

 Diese Plasmakugeln degenerieren und zerfallen in kleine, runde 

 Kornchen." Also, according to this author, the cells of the cyst- 

 walls and their nuclei degenerate, the fragments of which pass 

 into the lumen of the testis after the escape of the spermatozoa 

 from the cysts. This whole mass of degenerating cells which 

 completely envelop the rolled up spermatozoa in the ducts and 

 pedipalps, Bosenberg regards as a possible source of nutriment 



