Nov., 1912.] The Reduction Division in Fuchsia. 1 1 



somewhat connected by delicate strands of material. The sepa- 

 ration of the large chromosome from the rest may have no special 

 significance for later all fourteen seem to be connected. The 

 connecting strands are not evident until after the chromosomes 

 are fully formed but appear before the spindle. In Figure 23 the 

 connection is very distinct and the appearance is much like what 

 Gates has shown in some of his figures. 



The nuclear wall has entirely disappeared by this time and the 

 cells are spherical. The fully formed chromosomes are of rather 

 indefinite shape although there is a difference in size, but there is 

 no such characteristic shapes as found by Schaffner in Lilium 

 tigrinimi and Erythronium and by Miss Hyde in Hyacynth. 

 However, the peculiarities of size and fonn noted earlier are still 

 in evidence (Fig. 24) . 



While the chromosomes are scattered in the nuclear cavity 

 the delicate strands of material that connect them seem to draw 

 them up closer into the central part of the nuclear area. 



The sections were not stained with the special object of study- 

 ing the spindle but when it became evident it was a bipolar structure 

 within the nuclear cavity and the chromosomes were apparently 

 attached to the delicate fibers. At this stage the cytoplasm has 

 usually penetrated into the nuclear area and surrounds the spindle 

 but occasionally the preparations show a clear surrounding space 

 which may be due to plasmolysis (Fig. 25) . 



In Lilium tigrinum Schaffner found that the chromosomes in 

 the reduction division were fastened to the spindle near the end 

 and that as the chromosomes were pulled toward the poles the 

 break occurred transversely causing one of the univalent chromo- 

 somes to go to each pole. In Fuchsia the chromosomes are so 

 small and compact that no ends can be seen sticking out from the 

 apparently homogenous mass. Even with a magnification of 

 2500x the chromosomes seemed perfectly homogenous. As the 

 chromosomes are drawn into the equatorial plate they still retain 

 their individuality and can be counted without great difficulty. 

 At this point they are hard to draw due to the fact that they lie 

 under each other and can be seen best by focusing. 



The main purpose of the investigation was to study the form- 

 ation of the bivalent chromosomes but a series of older sections 

 brought out another point of interest that might be mentioned. 

 There are irregularities in the development of the tetrads which 

 may be significant in connection with the supposed hybrid natiire 

 of our greenhouse varieties of Fuchia. In some cases normal 

 tetrads were formed, in others as high as six to eight nuclei of 

 various sizes were observed in one sporocyte (Figs. 33, 34). This 

 condition has been known for some time. In 1886 Wille (23) 

 reported that he had observed as high as eight cells developed from 

 the pollen-mother cells of Fuchsia. The same condition was 



