13 



faint spindle is formed, apjiarently by tlie rearrangejnent of 

 tlie linin tJu'eads (figs, 21, 22). The spindle fibres are 

 connected with small, darkly staining kinoplasmic caps, 

 which lie on the nuclear luembrane at opposite poles of the 

 nucleus (fig. 22) . 



At metaphcise the spindle is seen to he short and broad 

 and more or less truncated at the ends (fig. 22), The nu- 

 cleus is flattened at right angles to the axis of the spin- 

 dle, so that it is much broader than long. The cliroirio somes 

 are closely packed on the equatorial pls,te, which is nearly 

 as broad as the nuclear cavity. The nuclear meiabratie is 

 intact, so that the v;hole spindle is intranuclear. 



In addition to being closely packed, the chromosomes 

 do not lie in exactly the same plane, and it has been dif- 

 ficult to count them witli certainty. Between the chromo- 

 somes lie a darkly staining substance that renders coxmting 

 still more uncertain, numerous estimates made from polar 

 views of the equatorial plates, vary from 11 to 14, The 

 normal number of chromosomes in the nucleus of the vegeta- 

 tive cell of the tetrasporic plant seeias pretty certainly 

 to be 14 (fig, 23) , 



The nucleiir cavity is largest at time of propliase, 

 jasuring as much as 5,5 M^ in diameter. At metaphase it 



me? 



