TRICHOMONAD FLAGELLATES. 309 



membrane of the axostyle, it is difficult to determine which, near the 

 level of emergence. These distal chromidia are not, however, of 

 constant occurrence. The margins of the axostyle are somewhat 

 more distinct distally where tiiey are readily determined in all prepara- 

 tions. In reality a faintly chromatic l^and surrounds the axostyle 

 just above its point of emergence (PI. 1, Fig. 3). In the anterior 

 region, owing to the greater mass of material, and to the nucleus, the 

 outlines of the axostyle are less readily followed. 



The presence in this species of these chromatic granules in the axo- 

 style is, however, of very great assistance in clearly marking out the 

 course of this organ in the cytoplasm. The cytoplasmic chromidia 

 are ne\er so numerous as to obscure or confuse the interpretation of 

 the axostyle. Its delineation requires carefully stained iron-haema- 

 toxylin preparations, preferably made with alcoholic solutions, careful 

 extraction of the stain to the right degree, a 100 watt Mazda lamp as 

 the source of illumination, and the Zeiss 2 mm. apochromatic objective 

 and compensating oculars for observation. 



The axostyle is demonstrable by these means in every individual 

 save in a very few which showed evidence of degenerative changes in 

 that the nuclear conditions were abnormal or the cytoplasm filled 

 with chromidia as in Alexeieff's (1910) figure of T. hatrnchoruvi. 

 It was demonstrable in all individuals in the process of mitosis. 



KuczjTiski (1914) describes the axostyle of Trichomonas, including 

 that of T. augusta, as being composed of two main fibrillae which 

 meet posteriorly in the tip and antenorly embrace the blepharoplast 

 between their ends. These fibrillae one finds to be thickened just 

 above the point of their emergence. PVom a careful inspection of his 

 figures it appears that these "fibrillae" can be only the sheath or 

 outer layer of the axostyle seen in optical section on either side. We 

 find on careful search no conclusive evidence of any such fibrillae in 

 our material though the appearances may be similar to those figured 

 by Kuczynski. No matter what the position of the axostyle under 

 observation one never finds these "fibrillae" in any other place than 

 the sides of the axostyle as may be inferred from an inspection of all 

 of our figures of this species. They do not cross the shaft obliquely or 

 lie in any instance along the middle of the shaft as a pair of fibrillar 

 structures might. It is true that in most of the individuals on slides 

 the undulating membrane lies either on the right or the left margin 

 of the figure so that were the axostyle fixed in position with reference 

 to this membrane and the two "fi!)rillae" dorsal and ventral in loca- 

 tion we should then always see them along the sides of the axostyle. 



