﻿MATUrvATlON, 
  ETC., 
  OF 
  THE 
  EGG 
  OF 
  THK 
  AXOLOTL. 
  459 
  

  

  assumption 
  by 
  it 
  of 
  a 
  radial 
  structure, 
  the 
  rays 
  being 
  pro- 
  

   longed 
  outside 
  it 
  between 
  the 
  surrounding 
  yolk-granules. 
  

  

  (c) 
  Tlie 
  formation 
  of 
  a 
  spindle 
  between 
  the 
  centrosomes, 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  great 
  increase 
  in 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  latter. 
  

  

  In 
  considering 
  these 
  two 
  classes 
  of 
  phenomena 
  I 
  could 
  

   hardly 
  refrain 
  from 
  indulging 
  in 
  vague 
  conjectures 
  in 
  expla- 
  

   nation 
  of 
  them, 
  and 
  it 
  Avas 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  testing 
  these 
  specu- 
  

   lations 
  that 
  I 
  undertook 
  the 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  experiments 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  

   described. 
  As 
  a 
  result, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  tempted 
  to 
  form 
  certain 
  

   conclusions 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  must 
  state 
  most 
  explicitly 
  that 
  the 
  experi- 
  

   ments 
  are 
  themselves 
  very 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  thorough 
  or 
  

   searching, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  hypotheses 
  founded 
  on 
  them 
  are 
  

   tentative 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  highest 
  degree. 
  

  

  1. 
  It 
  occurred 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  entrance 
  of 
  the 
  spermatozoon 
  

   with 
  the 
  accompanying 
  formation 
  of 
  entrance-cone 
  and 
  funnel 
  

   might 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  local 
  alteration 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  tension 
  of 
  

   the 
  egg. 
  I 
  floated 
  a 
  fairly 
  large 
  drop 
  of 
  acetic 
  acid 
  between 
  

   a 
  layer 
  of 
  chloroform 
  and 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  benzole 
  in 
  a 
  glass 
  vessel. 
  

   The 
  drop 
  assumed 
  approximately 
  a 
  spherical 
  shape. 
  In 
  the 
  

   Siime 
  vessel 
  I 
  floated 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  filtered 
  albumen. 
  When 
  the 
  

   drops 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  touch 
  and 
  coalesce 
  the 
  acetic 
  seemed 
  to 
  

   spread 
  over 
  the 
  outer 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  albumen 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  was 
  

   very 
  clearly 
  the 
  case 
  when 
  the 
  drop 
  of 
  acetic 
  was 
  much 
  

   smaller 
  than 
  the 
  other, 
  the 
  acetic 
  producing 
  a 
  |)atch 
  of 
  

   coagulum 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  albumen. 
  I 
  concluded 
  

   from 
  this 
  that 
  the 
  surface 
  tension 
  between 
  acetic 
  and 
  the 
  

   mixture 
  of 
  chloroform 
  and 
  benzole 
  was 
  less 
  than 
  that 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  albumen 
  and 
  the 
  mixture. 
  I 
  then 
  took 
  a 
  large 
  drop 
  

   of 
  acetic 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  drop 
  of 
  albumen 
  ; 
  in 
  this 
  case, 
  when 
  

   the 
  drops 
  coalesced 
  the 
  smaller 
  streamed 
  into 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  

   the 
  larger. 
  

  

  Exactly 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  occurred 
  when 
  I 
  substituted 
  for 
  the 
  

   albumen 
  either 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  gum 
  or 
  a 
  drop 
  of 
  a 
  semi-solid 
  mixture 
  

   of 
  1 
  per 
  cent, 
  gelatin 
  and 
  albumen 
  in 
  equal 
  parts. 
  The 
  shape 
  

   of 
  the 
  instreaming 
  drop 
  varied, 
  however, 
  in 
  the 
  three 
  experi- 
  

   ments. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  albumen 
  the 
  inner 
  end 
  was 
  broader 
  

   than 
  the 
  outer, 
  with 
  the 
  gum 
  the 
  drop 
  streamed 
  in 
  as 
  a 
  

  

  