196 M. E. Claparede on the Formation of the Egg 



cannot easily be described, occur in the female genitalia. When 

 the corpuscles of the latter description are observed, we very 

 soon detect in them the extension and retraction of processes — 

 in a word, Schneider's AmcehaA^ke movements. They do not all 

 move at the same time, but the majority are usually quiescent ; 

 nevertheless we generally meet immediately with indi^^duals en- 

 gaged in movement. The movements are usually slow and heavy. 

 Not unfrequently, however, we see a corpuscle, the movements of 

 which were previously very slow and cautious, suddenly become 

 more lively and execute several changes of form quickly one 

 after the other, again acquiring its former indolence immediately 

 afterwards. 



It is easy to convince oneself that this has nothing to do with 

 phsenomena of diffusion, such as Bischoff has described in As- 

 caris mystax. The phsenomena of motion go on for hours, and 

 generally become even more lively when the seminal corpuscles 

 have passed an hour in the fluid. That the corpuscles are not 

 parasites, may be easily ascertained in Strongylus auricidaris, 

 because the seminal corpuscles of this species are of a very cha- 

 racteristic form. Thus we find every intermediate step from the 

 immoveable forms of the zoospermia to the mobile corpuscles, as 

 Schneider has already indicated. In the female sexual organs 

 we meet first of all with conical and horn-like corpuscles, with 

 the base sharply truncated, which agree perfectly with the zoo- 

 spermia of the male. We also find in the female genitalia other 

 corpuscles of exactly the same form, in which, however, the base 

 is not simply truncated, but somewhat dilated and lobed. Even 

 this form is capable of motion, but it is only the smaller lobed 

 portion that takes part in the movement. The conical or horn- 

 like apex is quite passive ; it is dragged along, but executes no 

 movement of its own. The further metamorphosis of the seminal 

 corpuscle consists in the gradual enlargement of the lobed mo- 

 bile base, whilst the immoveable apex diminishes in the same pro- 

 portion. The firm apex gradually dissolves into the mobile, irre- 

 gular portion. Finally, the apex completely disappears, and the 

 corpuscle has a perfectly Amoeba-like aspect. The cycle of meta- 

 morphosis is, however, not yet closed. A nucleus soon makes its 

 appearance in the Amoeba-\\ke corpuscle, and gradually increases 

 in length. The corpuscle then contracts into a ball, and extends 

 its processes only from a particular side of its surface. The 

 similarity between a seminal corpuscle of this kind and Bagge's 

 nucleated cells is so striking, that no one can miss seeing it. 

 There can be no doubt that the corpuscle with A7na-ba-like 

 movements passes into a cell of this description. The question 

 now is, whether the nucleated cell is a perfectly quiescent state 

 of the seminal corpuscle, or whether it is still capable of motion. 



