Self -Fertilization Induced hy Artificial Means. i6i 



In later experiments the sperm was taken from the vasa defer- 

 entia, and put first into distilled water where the spermatozoa 

 remained quiescent. If a drop of salt-solution (water loo, NaCl 

 0.75) was added to a drop of water containing the spermatozoa, 

 they became active in the course of a minute or less, and their 

 activity continued to increase for several minutes longer, when 

 they remained active for some time. If a drop of a 5 per cent, 

 ether solution is added to a drop of water containing quiescent 

 spermatozoa, no result is seen at first, but after ten minutes I 

 have observed a slight vibration of the spermatozoa. If now 

 after the ether has been added, a drop of the salt-solution is also 

 added,the spermatozoa become active, but it is difficult to determine 

 whether they become more active than when the salt-solution alone 

 is present. Certainly there is no marked difference. If a drop 

 of 8 per cent, alcohol is added to a drop of water containing the 

 spermatozoa no activity is observable, but if then a drop of salt- 

 solution is also added the spermatozoa begin to swim, showing 

 that the alcohol had not injured them, although it had failed to 

 arouse them to activity. Several strengths of KOH (3 per cent, 

 and weaker) were tried, but without effect; yet if salt-solution was 

 added later some slight activity was seen. 



In another series of experiments the spermatozoa quiescent in 

 water were first made active by adding the salt solution. If ether 

 was then added no decided effect on the sperm could be seen 

 when their activity was compared with that of check preparations 

 of salt-solution only. It appeared sometimes as though the ether 

 did make the activity more pronounced, and the movement of the 

 spermatozoa appeared somewhat different in the two cases. In 

 the ether the motion was more jerky, and in the salt solution more 

 sinuous and normal. 



The following. solutions were also tried: The sperm was first 

 put into a drop of water, and then a drop of the solution was 

 added, NaHCO^ 0.625 per cent, caused the sperm to vibrate 

 rather actively; NasCOg, 5.0 per cent, caused a little activity after 

 five minutes; KCl, 0.5 per cent, caused greater activity than 

 did the sodium carbonate, while CaCl caused somewhat less vibra- 

 tion. 



