624 GEORGE T. HARGITT 



granules in the cytoplasm close to the nuclear membrane. Some 

 of these granules are slightly removed from contact with the 

 nuclear membrane and a few may even be close to the outer 

 border of the cell (fig. 51). This is clearly an indication of a 

 migration away from the nucleus, and is also indicative of the 

 origin of this material within the nucleus. 



When the oocyte begins to grow these granules cease to form 

 and such as are present migrate further into the cytoplasm 

 (fig. 52) and there finally disappear. While still visible within 

 the cytoplasm they have a tendency to cause a vacuolation of 

 the cytoplasm about themselves. This marks the same sort of 

 chromidia formation as has been observed in other Coelente- 

 rates, and other animals. In this form it is of slight duration 

 but it may play a definite part in the life of the cell in spite 

 of the rapidity with which such a stage passes. It is quite possi- 

 ble that the fact of a different sort of nutrition in Hybocodon 

 (absorption of the sister oocytes) than in such forms as Clava 

 and Campanularia (absorption of liquid food material from the 

 gastrovascular cavities) has something to do with the difference 

 in the sort and amount of chromidia formation. 



In the beginning of growth increase is largely within the 

 cytoplasm, the nuclei not growing much; the nucleus in the 

 growing cell of figure 52 is only slightly larger than those in the 

 oocytes which are not growing (fig. 51), though the cytoplasm 

 has increased twofold or more. The nuclear contents in the 

 growing oocyte are arranged in a reticulum, but there has been 

 no change in the staining reaction and so probably no chemical 

 change. It is only after the oocyte has increased to a consider- 

 able size that the absorption of the smaller oocytes takes place 

 to a very large extent ; in a few cases the presence of two germinal 

 vesicles within one large oocyte shows that there has been a 

 fusion of oocytes. The oocyte sends out pseudopodial exten- 

 sions of considerable length and in considerable numbers, and 

 these prolongations extend between the smaller cells feeding 

 upon them either by absorption or engulf ment. This is a com- 

 mon method in hydra and some other hydroids. The nucleus 

 of the absorbed cells is more difficult to dispose of than the cyto- 



