1662 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



CURRENT BOTANICAL LITERATURE. 



CHARLES J. CHAMBERLAIN, University of Chicago. 



Books for Review and Separates of Papers on Botanical Subjects should be Sent to Charles J. 

 Chamberlain, University of Chicago, Chicago, 111. 



Zacharias, E. Beitrage zur Kenntniss der Sex- Chemical and morphological researches 

 ualzellen. Ber. d. deutsch. hot. Gesell. 19: upon the spermatozoids of plants and 

 377-39 . '90'- |.]^g spermatozoa of animals indicate 



that the cilia and spiral bands of plant spermatozoids correspond to the tail and 

 head of animal spermatozoa. The spiral band and the head are distinguished 

 chemically by their nuclein contents, nuclein being lacking in the cilia and in 

 the tail. Besides many animal forms, the writer investigated the spermatozoids 

 of Nitella, Chara, Ceratop/eris, Pel/ia, Polytrkhiim, and others. The various 

 forms were treated with a solution of sodium sulphate : 



Sodium sulphate - - - - 10 g. 



Acetic acid ..... i g. 



Water - 100 g. 



To this solution a little acid fuchsin was added. This sharply differentiates the 

 nuclein containing portion from the part which contains no nuclein and shows 

 that heads and spiral bands differ in their chemical behavior from tails and cilia 

 When the solution, with methyl green instead of acid fuchsin, is applied to sper- 

 matozoa of the salmon, the head, which contains the nuclein, becomes swollen 

 while the tail and middle piece become sharply differentiated, but do not stain. 

 The tail and middle piece, however, stain well when acid fuchsin is used. When 

 alcoholic material of the spermatozoa of Triton is treated with the fuchsin con- 

 taining solution, the tail and middle piece are not at all swollen, but become 

 stained, the latter very intensely. The head appears swollen and slightly stained, 

 but the staining may be due to a delicate covering and not to the nuclein con- 

 taining contents of the head. Living spermatozoids of Chara and Nitella show 

 the anterior and posterior portions of the band not at all swollen, but intensely 

 stained, while the middle portion is not at all stained, but is very much swollen. 

 Prof. Zacharias was able to satisfy himself that the middle piece of Triton and 

 the salmon as well as the blepharoplasts of Chara and Nitella contain no nuclein. 

 The term " middle piece " is variously used, but only when it is of ccntrosome 

 origin is it to be compared with the blepharoplasts of plants. 



In some cases he was able to determine that the portion of the male sexual 

 cell which is derived from the nucleus of the mother cell contains a larger per- 

 centage of nuclein than the nucleus of the female sexual cell. 



The investigations of botanists and zoologists have not yet determined the 

 nature of the influence which the sperm exerts upon the egg in normal fertiliza- 

 tion, but evidence is accumulating and the present paper certainly adds some 

 interesting facts in regard to the chemical behavior of the sperm cells of animals 

 iind plants. c. j. c. 



