l^utrition of the Ovum of Scolia Dubia. 127 



A marked feature of the region in the vicinity of the terminal 

 filament is that peculiar structures appear within the terminal cham- 

 ber. There are here to be seen oval cells, deeply staining, measuring 

 10 by 15 microns. Their nuclei are oval and their cytoplasm dense 

 and finely granular. Except for rounded bodies within it the cyto- 

 plasm appears homogeneous (Fig. 7 a).^ At b, Fig. 7, is seen an 

 irregular space containing what may be the remains of one of these 

 peculiar cells broken down. At places smaller cells with what appear 

 to be two, three or more nuclei within each may be found. These 

 figures suggest quite strongly the series shown in Figs. 3 to 19, Taf. 

 I of Will, '86, which this author has interpreted as phases in the 

 development of nurse cells, ova and follicle cells from "ooblasts." 

 The phenomena pictured by Will were at once taken up in dispute 

 by Korschelt, '87. Stuhlmann, Blochmann and Schneider also 

 denounced Will's theory. Among the later writers to dispute Will's 

 interpretation was De Bruyne, '98, who records that some of the cells 

 of the "germigene" undergo a histological transformation character- 

 ized by the appearance in the protoplasm of spheres of compact 

 structure serving to support chromophilous fragments more or less 

 numerous. These transformed cells lose their boundaries and their 

 products of degeneration scatter in the cavity of the terminal cham- 

 ber between the cells which have preserved their general aspect. 

 "Ces produits serres entre les cellules restees intactes, penetrent ou 

 arrivent par engiobement jusque dans celles que I'on reconnait deja 

 comme etant les futurs elements ovulaires et vont y contributor a 

 leur accroissement : il s'agit d'une degenerescence spontanee, debu- 

 tant et s'achevant sans 1' intervention de cellules sanguines et d'une 

 disparition subsequent par englobenment de la part de la cellule-oeuf, 

 qui joue ainsi le role de phagocyte. Les boules du protoplasme nees 

 dans les cellules nutritives correspondent done aux produits des 

 ooblasts (Will) et leur partie chromatique est le noyau ne, d'apres cet 

 auteur, par bourgeonnement de ces memos ooblasts. Non seulement 

 des cellules nutritives peuvent, en degenerant, donner lieu a des sub- 

 stances d'accroissement pour I'ovule, mais repithelium aussi pent 

 secreter de ces boules." 



Giardina, '01, shows convincingly that the origin of the nurse cells 



