520 Zoological Society, 



elements of the seminal fluid ; and that the spermatozoa are essential 

 to prolific semen seems now to be generally allowed. I merely 

 mention the subject in connection with the statement of Sir Everard. 

 Home (Lectures on Comp. Anat., vol. v. ; well commented on in 

 Dr. Davy's Researches, vol. i. p. 339), that the seminal animalcules 

 have no real existence, and especially that he and Mr. Bauer had 

 searched for them in vain, and with the best instruments and oppor- 

 tunities, in the seminal fluid of the fallow deer during the season of 

 the rut. 



I now exhibit to the Society drawings of the spermatozoa of the 

 fallow deer, wapiti, and red deer, and shall be happy to show my 

 preparations of the animalcules to any one who may be curious 

 about them. I have repeatedly had opportunities of examining the 

 spermatozoa of the fallow deer, and though they are most abundant 

 at the time of the rut, they may be found commonly enough at other 

 seasons. After the rut was passed in January and February, I found 

 the spermatozoa plentiful in the red and fallow deer at Windsor. 

 The animalcules were even then in various stages of development ; 

 some coiled up two or three together, in cells, with granular matter ; 

 others were still more rudimentary ; many appeared just ready to 

 escape from the cells, while a still greater number were free and 

 lively in the seminal canals. In the body of the spermatozoon of the 

 red deer there is occasionally an appearance of internal granules or 

 vesicles, as shown in the drawing. 



As the Camelidce, like the oviparous Vertebrata, have oval blood- 

 corpuscles, it was interesting to ascertain the form of the sperma- 

 tozoa of this ruminant family. In the dromedary I found that the 

 seminal animalcules were much like those of other Mammalia, and 

 so nearly resembling the animalcules of the Cervidce, that there was 

 a difi'erence only of size, the spermatozoa of the dromedary being 

 slightly smaller than those of the deer. 



Chemical characters of the spermatozoa. — It is remarkable that the 

 spermatozoa of Mammalia are but little or not at all affected by 

 many chemical agents which quickly act on various other animal 

 matters. These spermatozoa preserve their form and appearance 

 when treated severally with nitric, muriatic, acetic, oxalic, tartaric 

 and citric acids ; with concentrated solutions of earthy, alkaline, and 

 metallic salts ; and with liquid ammonia. 



But the spiral spermatozoa of birds are quickly dissolved, destroyed, 

 or reduced to the most minute particles, by the acetic and other 

 vegetable acids, while these animalcules are not much affected by 

 muriatic acid, nor by caustic ammonia and saline solutions. Yet the 

 cylindrical or club-shaped spermatozoa of birds are more nearly 

 allied in chemical characters to the spermatozoa of Mammalia. The 

 seminal animalcules of the common swift {Cypsehis Apus), for exam- 

 ple, remain perfectly entire and distinct after having been subjected 

 to the action of citric or acetic acid. It may be incidentally men- 

 tioned that the spermatozoa of the snake {Natrix torquatu) are not 

 aff'ected by acetic acid. 



The matter in the seminal canals of Mammalia and Birds, when it 



