No. 3] EGG OF ALLOLOBOPHORA FCETIDA. 519 



The osmophile granules in these early stages show precisely 

 the same reaction to Van Bambeke's test as is shown by the 

 granules in the older oocytes (Photos 41-44, PL XLII), which 

 are beyond question the same structures as those described and 

 figured by Van Bambeke {cf. Photo 96, PI. XLV). A detailed 

 account of the reaction of these granules to turpentine and 

 xylol was given in an earlier paper (11). 



In Pholcus, Van Bambeke finds that the fat granules disap- 

 pear at a definite stage — that they are transitory formations 

 — "que leur nombre diminue et enfin qu'ils disparaissent, 

 par une digestion intra-cellulaire, dans les oocytes plus ages " 

 (30), p. 554. "Toutefois, on pent considerer les premiers, 

 c'est-a-dire les granules adipeux, comme n'ayant qu'une exis- 

 tence transitoire} leur mission etant de fournir des materiaux 

 nutritifs au cytoplasma et de le rendre ainsi plus apte a 

 elaborer, a secreter les secondes ; (the vitelline spheres) les 

 spheres vitellines representent, par consequent, le vrai vitellus 

 nutritif" (30), pp. 554, 555. 



In the egg of Allolobophora they are not transitory forma- 

 tions ; their presence can be demonstrated during all stages 

 of the growth of the Qgg, the maturation, fertilization, and 

 cleavage (PI. XLII, Photos 60-62, PI. XLIII, and Photo 82, 

 PI. XLIV). 



Is there a structure in this ^g% homologous to the vitelline 

 spheres of Van Bambeke } Photo 96, PI. XLV, is a repro- 

 duction of Van Bambeke's Fig. 4, and represents, besides the 

 fat granules, the first appearance of the spheres vitellines of 

 Pholcus. A comparison of these spheres with Photos 56-59, 

 PI. XLIII, and Photo 78, PL XLIV, indicates that the hyaline 

 globules of Allolobophora may be the homologue of the spheres 

 vitellines. These hyaline globules, which appear, however, 

 at a much later stage than the spheres of Pholcus, show no 

 evidence of being formed at the expense of the deutoplasmic 

 granules. The eggs found in the cocoons are less rich in 

 osmophile substance than the eggs at the distal end of the 

 ovary {cf. Photos 41-44, PL XLII, with Photos 60-62, 

 PL XLIII, and Photo 82, PL XLIV). We interpret this as 



^ The italics are ours. 



