414 A. J. NICHOLSON 
very considerably in area, but I am convinced that this is 
entirely due to the increase in size of the individual cells. In 
no case have I seen any sign of mitotic division during this 
period. Further, counts were made of the epithelial cells in 
median longitudinal, and transverse sections of folhieles in 
various stages of development, and the average number of 
cells visible in a section was found to be practically constant 
irrespective of the size of the follicle. 
The ‘ funicle ’ arises by the local proliferation of the epithelial 
cells of the septum between the end chamber and the young 
follicle. Shortly after the young follicle is cut off from the end 
chamber a number of nuclei are found closely packed one above 
the other in the form of a short rod. This rod-like structure 
is found in one side of the septum, and this asymmetrical 
position is retained throughout the growth of the follicle, as 
will be readily understood when it is considered that the 
micropyle apparatus is formed immediately under the ‘ funiele ’, 
and this is not terminal but ventral i position. 
The nuclei in this rod-like structure continue to divide, 
forming a long string. The rest of the septum splits and gives 
rise on the one hand to the follicular epithelium and on the other 
to the epithelial layer of the end chamber. The only portion of 
the septum which does not split is that which contains the rod- 
like series of nuclei, and this now forms the funicle. 
When the egg-follicle is first formed the nurse-cell nuclei 
often contain a more or less indefinite spireme and there is very 
little cytoplasm. As the follicle grows the nuclear contents 
become arranged in much convoluted bands which appear to 
be directly derived from the spireme. These bands are some- 
what peculiar in structure. They consist of a non-staining 
ribbon of linin, across which lie a large number of chromatin 
bands giving an appearance somewhat resembling that of 
a striped muscle (fig. 30). These convoluted bands he round 
the periphery of the nucleus with the result that imdividual 
sections give a very wrong idea of the appearance of the 
nucleus. This is due to the fact that the nurse-cell nuclei are 
gigantic (0-02-0-03 mm.) in diameter, so that each nucleus is 
