RENDERING RESISTANT STARFISH EGGS NORMAL. 



tion of responsiveness; the sperm then exhibit- its normal action. 

 It i- evident that this hypothesis also implies that the other 

 change- in the egg e\pre--ive of increased permeability should, 

 after the etht-r treatment, also follow an approximately normal 

 eotir-e. This in in ta<t tl as regard- the post-maturational 



cytolysis; thi- change i- delayed in the above abnormal eggs, as 

 already de-cribed : but it i- found to t.ike place in a normal 

 manner in the ether-treated nnfert ili/ed eggs. The follo\\in- 

 de- ( Tipn'oii- will illustrate both of the-e effe< 



It -hould lir-t be noted that tlie to which .1 nor- 



mally re-Utant to fertili/ation may be rendered normal by the 

 el her t real men t i- variable. In -<>me of my la-t -u miner'- experi- 

 ment- the difference between the ether-treated and the untreated 



- of tin- -aine lot \\,i- -lijn; in other- the contra-t \\a- mo-t 



-inking. The degree of resistance to the post-maturational 



cytolysis i- -imil.irly variable. In general it \\a- "b-er\ed that 



- \\hich -ho\\ed the mo-t pronounced delay in the oii-t-i of 

 ilii- Kilter change wen- mo-t readily brought into a normally 



ponsive condition or " rcju\ eiiatt -d " by ether. The fol- 

 louiiu -. ries of experiment- \\ith three -ejiarate lot- of -iar!i-li 

 .ill of \\hich failed \\ith a feu exceptions 1" de\elop t.. .1 

 bla-tula MI -ini|'le fertili/ation \\ithoiu ether treatment 



illu-lrale- thi- \ariability, a- \\ell a- the e. n relation bi-tueeii 

 i|ela\- in the |io-t-mat nrational (\toly-i- and the po ibility of 



i\ nation 1 b\- the ether treatment. 



JlMH- 3'1, I(;I I. I! lotS Of < . . A, B, ( !)- 



1 ,.i tli<- mix . Al't'-r n-iiiaiiiinn alxmt mi-- .m<l .1 



hall In-ill- in ii.-iiii.il -c.i-\va: .-\\ Jut \\cn- tr.e 



r.-nt. lining "..i vol. i"-i n-nt. rtlu-r. i kept in Miiall ti>;litl\- n-rknl 



il.i-k- . : [ hour and xo minutes in thic n p.nt m tlu-i-xi;- \M-I :n-l 



Iti-in rarli !l.i-k to iii-nnal -i-.i-\\.itrr in : -r \\.i-liini; tin- 



ir<'in cth'-i -pci in. it"/' '.i \\iic ail' It-il. 1 : tin- <'KX- in < .u'li ll.i-k 



-iinilail> tian-ii-rri-': 1 a quarter ln-urs 



in tin- i-tli'-r M-lutimi. 1 i -n'li I"t t: - a fertilized tontrol c<-n-i-ting of eggs 



\\hii_h had lain untrraU-il in sea-water for about 2 ln-ur> and 45 minutes before 

 fertilization. 



1 I use this term because of the analogies it suggests. The eggs are in fact 

 brought by the ether treatment into a condition which is characteristic of eggs 

 pii-'lueeil in the earlier portion of the reproductive cycle. The production of \\\ 



ant eggs like the above occurs late in the breeding season, and the phenomcn- <n 

 bears certain analogies to senescence. See below, page 345- 



