THE LIVING SUBSTANCE. 



59 



Holl in 1893, and afforded an explanation to me of the results 

 then being attained by other investigators in fertilization of 

 eggs from which the new nucleus had apparently been shaken 

 entire, and also of supposed non-nucleated fragments of eggs. 

 What the final fate of these chromatin fragments was I did not 

 determine, being then at work along other lines. They might 

 later have been carried to and even into the nucleus, or they 

 may have had some special mission of their own in the coming 

 development. 1 



It is not possible to describe, for it is not possible to grasp 

 mentally, in even their grosser relations, all the changes which 

 take place during the developmental phenomena so roughly 

 indicated above ; for the changes are so continuous, in their 

 subtle modulations, and yet so kaleidoscopic in their effect 

 on the mind which fails to follow, that directed, or even 

 passive, attention is beaten at the outset. And then attempt 

 at description is futile, for how can this, with its inescapable 

 limitations, be applied to activities which are freely simul- 

 taneous in three dimensions of space .-' To try to grasp all, 

 or even most, of those in a limited area is to be utterly baffled. 

 Many years of observation could well be given to the changes 

 which come about in formation or maturation of the nuclear 

 area alone. 



Dissipation of the nuclear pellicle is preceded by contractile 

 waves in it, and later the component vesicles, loosing their hold 

 upon each other, are carried away and mingled amongst the 

 surrounding fluid substance ; for the cytoplasm becomes for a 

 time very fluid, from having mingled with it the watery contents 

 of the nuclear sac. Later, this local fluidity is much decreased, 

 and there is a general gain in viscosity of the whole internal 

 portion of the cytoplasm, with marked increase in this respect 

 towards the periphery of the ^%%? 



[54] Following up along the same lines the phenomena of 

 fertilization and of cell-division, these were seen to be but more 

 obvious stages in a long and never-ceasing series of redistribu- 

 tions and reorganizations of the foam elements of the living 



1 See Activities — filose. 



2 See above rhythms of viscosity in starfish and sea-urchin eggs. 



