QUARTERLY CHRONICLE OF MICROSCOPICAL 



SCIENCE. 



Archiv fur Mikroskopische Anatomie. Bd. Ill, heft iii. 

 Supplementary Notice. 



Our Chronicle was necessarily curtailed considerably last 

 quarter, hence we here give more extended notices of some of 

 the Papers in this part of the ' Archiv.' ■*■ 



1. " 0)1 the Genesis of the Seminal Corpuscles,''^ by La Valette 

 St. George. 



Referring to a paper published in 1865, in the ' Archiv,' by 

 Schweigger-Seidel, the writer remarks that that author states 

 that the substance of which the spermatic corpuscles are 

 composed is by no means of uniform nature throughout, but 

 always presents peculiar characters at various parts. These 

 apparently simple corpuscles, consequently, are composed of 

 segments distinctly differing in form and chemical constitu- 

 tion. For instance, in the mammalia the upper part of the 

 filament is distinguished from the remainder by its large and 

 more uniform thickness, gi'eater brilUancy, and different be- 

 haviour under various chemical reagents. Neither does it 

 take any part in the movements of the filament. In birds 

 and amphibia it is also characterised by certain differences. 

 Schweigger-Seidel, therefore, regards it as a special segment 

 or " intermediate-piece," interposed between the head and 

 tail. M. Valette St. George, however, states that in some 

 instances in human spermatozoa he has noticed this inter- 

 mediate-piece, which it is sometimes difficult to discern, to 

 take part, though faintly, in the motion. 



In those of the Hedgehog, taken from the epididymis, this 

 " intermediate-piece " was usually very readily discernible, 

 though sometimes not so well denned. M. St. George states 

 that the testis of this animal is peculiarly well adapted for 

 the study of the development of the spermatozoon, owing to 

 the greater transparency of the contents of the sperm-cells. 

 In the Guinea-pig, Rabbit, and Dog, a similar constitution of 

 the corpuscles can be readily perceived. 



