THE SPERMATOZOON 



105 



similar structure occurs in the toad. In some beetles there is a 

 fin-membrane attached to a stiff axial "supporting fibre" (Fig. 49, 

 A\ The membrane itself is here composed of four parallel fibres 

 which differ entirely from the supporting fibre in staining capacity 

 and in the fact that each of them may be further resolved into a 

 large number of more elementary fibrillae. 



Fig. ^51. Unusual forms of spermatozoa. 



A. B. C. Living amoeboid spermatozoa of the crustacean Polyphemus. [ZACHARIAS.] 

 D. E. Spermatozoa of crab, Dromia. F. Of Ethusa, G. of Ma/a, H. of htachus, [GROBBEN.] 

 /. Spermatozoon of lobster, Homarus. [HERRICK.] 

 J. Spermatozoon of crab, Porcellana. [GROBBEN.] 



Many interesting details have necessarily been passed over in the foregoing 

 account. One of these is the occurrence, in some birds, amphibia (frog)> and 

 mollusks, of two kinds of spermatozoa in the same animal. In the birds and 

 amphibia the spermatozoa are of two sizes, but of the same form, the larger being 

 known as "giant spermatozoa" (Fig. 49, G, //). In the gasteropod Paludina the 

 two kinds differ entirely in structure, the smaller form being of the usual type and 

 not unlike those of birds, while the larger, or "vermiform," spermatozoa have a 

 worm-like shape and bear a tuft of cilia at one end, somewhat like the spermatozoicls 

 of plants (Fig. 49, J. K) In this case only the smaller spermatozoa are functional 

 (von Brunn) . 



No less remarkable is the conjugation of spermatozoa in pairs (Fig. 50, // ), which 



