62 



EXPERIiviEI^TAL. 

 The very irrogular character of the segmenting egg and 

 the loose connecLio'- of the blastomeres; and their ten- 

 dency to separate irto nore or less definite lobes and nro- 

 tuberancfs, as has been described in the section on segmen- 

 tation suggested the nrobleT: What would be ohejeffect of 

 dividing the eggs during the ccn-.Darativoly early stages of 

 cleavage? V.ith chis questior in mind a few experiments were 

 tried. The eggs v;ere divided during several stages of seg- 

 mentation. The best method for separating the cells was 

 3'cund to be by placing their, or a clean glass olate moist- 

 ened with sea-water. Then with a finely ':ointed£eedle 

 or -viuh a very delicate scalrel the blastOmeres cculd be cut 

 or torn ai;art without being crushed. After they were divided, 

 they were flooded frox the glass nlate by water from a 

 pi-iette into a dish of sea-water and watched in Lheir develc-^- 

 ment. The advantage of separating the e.ggs on a glass nlate 

 is that they are held slightly by surface tensio- , ^.-■'^. :o 



