332 J. E. BLOMFIELD. 



mother cell with basilar nucleus, or mother cell with principal 

 nucleus or sperm-blastophor of my nomenclature. 



The author then describes a series of sections showing the 

 relations which the above elements bear to one another. 



In a typical section next to the membrana propria are found 

 two kinds of cells, the gertninative cells, whose origin is doubt- 

 ful, and irregular cells, containing a smooth large nucleus, 

 which is the basal portion of the cellule de soutien. The 

 germinative cells (my spermatospores) multiply by division to 

 form the multinucleated masses, which he calls Kysts (my sperm- 

 polyplasts) ; the nuclei, with a small portion of protoplasm, then 

 become free, constituting the seminiferous cells (my spermato- 

 blasts), and then the nucleus of each seminiferous cell begins 

 to undergo changes to form the spermatozoon, when the term 

 nematocyst is applied to it. When this state is reached, they 

 become attached to and supported on the " cellule de soutien," 

 where they remain till they become mature spermatozoa. After 

 throwing off the spermatozoa, the " cellule de soutien " appears 

 to undergo fatty degeneration in its central part, while its peri- 

 pheral part remains and forms the " stellate cells," interspersed 

 among the germinative cells, which were described by Sertoli 

 and Meckel. 



While these changes have been going on, the germinative 

 cells have given rise to seminiferous cells, which, embedded 

 between the radial projections of the cellules de soutien, are 

 ready for the next crop of spermatozoa, and thus the process is 

 continued. 



The origin of the " cellules de soutien " is not given; but if 

 we assume that the germinative cell and the cellule de soutien 

 both arise from the division of a primordial testicular ceil (a 

 spermatospore), we can bring these observations into agreement 

 with the generalised process as described by me. 



It remains to describe the exact changes which a nematocyst 

 undergoes in becoming a spermatozoon. First, a caudal fila- 

 ment is protruded, and at the pole of the nucleus opposite to 

 this point a thickening of the membrane takes place, near the 

 nucleus in the accessory corpuscle. The nuclear thickening 



