46 J. F. McCLENDON. 



vacuolated and irregular in outline. The reticulum containing 

 chromatin begins to break up and the nuclear sap stains intensely, 

 probably due to the solution of chromatin. The nucleus be- 

 comes irregular in outline, probably due to pressure of yolk. 

 From one to three spheres of protoplasm (Fig. 1 1) are found in 

 some eggs near the wall of the oviduct, which appear to be 

 abnormal structures. With the breaking up of the reticulum, 

 the chromosomes are formed, but the manner in which this occurs 

 is obscured by the intense staining of the nuclear sap. (This 

 process shows better in Pandams.'] In order to see any struc- 

 tures in the nucleus it must be de-stained until it is very faint. 

 The nuclear membrane disappears and the karyoplasm increases 

 in volume and soon some of the chromosomes are distinctly 

 double. The nucleoli disappear suddenly. The karyoplasm 

 fades somewhat and becomes filled with alveoles, some of which 

 are very large (Fig. 12). Each chromosome, of which there are 

 eight (Fig. 13), is surrounded by a sphere of homogeneous pro- 

 toplasm that stains slightly deeper than the surrounding cyto- 

 plasm. Each chromosome is a tetrad and often opens out into 

 a ring constricted at four equidistant points. Two opposite con- 

 strictions are deeper than the other two and are to be regarded 

 (from comparison with L&margns and Pandarus) as the first di- 

 visions formed, and probably divisions between whole chromo- 

 somes. When seen on edge the tetrad usually appears dumb-bell 

 shaped. There is some variation in the shape of the chromo- 

 somes in early prophases (Fig. 1 2) but in later stages they appear 

 quite uniform in size and shape (Fig. 14). The spheres of homo- 

 geneous protoplasm surrounding the chromosomes fuse into one 

 mass. A colorless area appears around each chromosome (Fig. 

 13) which makes it appear as though each chromosome was 

 enclosed in a linin sac. 



These linin " sacs " are each drawn out in the form of a spindle, 

 and these spindles, lying parallel, form the first maturation 

 spindle. Spindle fibers develop (Figs. 13 and 14) and some of 

 them become attached to the chromosomes. The spindle is 

 elongated, and at each pole the protoplasm stains more intensely 

 resembling the pole plate in protozoon mitosis (Fig. 16). The 

 paler protoplasm forms a sphere around each pole of the spindle, 



