57 
could be discovered, but the spindle fibers are quite distinct. The 
chromatin rods are arranged longitudinally on the spindle, and in 
material fixed in Carnoy’s solution and stained in iron-haematoxylin 
followed by eosin, are remarkably distinct. The arrangement of these 
rods seems to indicate either that entire chromosomes are separating 
after synapsis or that daughter chromosomes are being pulled apart 
after a longitudinal split. I am unfortunately unable to state defini- 
tely what processes do precede the condition shown here, but it seems 
probable after a study of my material that the chromatin of the early 
oöcytes forms a spireme which breaks up into chromosomes, and that 
these chromosomes become united in pairs at or near their ends, and 
and are then drawn out upon the spindle as represented in Fig. 5. 
It seems also certain that a definite number of these chromosome- 
pairs are present. Only a few cross sections of spindles were found 
in my preparations, but in these the chromosomes are widely separated 
and consequently easily counted. Apparently there are twelve double 
rods in each spindle (Fig. 6). 
Instead of continuing its activity and forming two daughter nuclei 
this spindle persists for a long time undergoing a gradual contraction 
and condensation. Thus in the stage succeeding that just described 
the chromatin rods are close together and the entire spindle has de- 
creased in diameter although not in length (Fig. 7). Spindles in this 
condition are not always parallel to the long axis of the egg but may 
be oblique or more rarely almost perpendicular to this axis. Hence 
several transverse sections were obtained one of which is illustrated 
in Fig. 8. Here also is shown a closer proximity of the chromosomes 
as compared with the cross section of the younger spindle represented 
in Fig. 7. The number of chromosomes here also appears to be con- 
stant, namely, twelve. During succeeding stages the spindle continues 
to shorten and condense. That shown in Fig. 9 still exhibits spaces 
between the rods and the presence of only a few spindle fibers. 
A further contraction is indicated in Fig. 10 where the chromosomes 
have become so closely crowded as to form an apparently solid body 
in the shape of a cross. This chromatin body still continues to con- 
tract as shown in Figs. 11, 12, and 13. At about this time vacuoles 
begin to appear within it (Fig. 13) and its shape becomes more or 
less irregular, most often assuming a nearly spherical condition. This 
may now be recognized as the ‘ nucleolo’ of Smvesrrt or the ‘ keimbahn- 
chromatin’, as we have decided to call it. 
