592 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VOL. XXXVI II. 



with granules and irregular masses of a proteid nature some of 

 which stain like nucleoli. The proteid vacuolee were considered 

 nuclei by earlier writers (Hofmeister and Goroschankin) and 

 recently this view has been revived by Arnold (: oob) who 

 describes the migration of large numbers of nuclei from the cells 

 of the jacket surrounding the egg into that structure. These 

 results have not been confirmed by Ferguson who agrees with 

 the interpretation of other writers that the resemblance of the 

 proteid vacuolesto nuclei is superficial. Miss Ferguson believes 

 that the material of the proteid vacuoles is derived in part from 

 the nucleoli in the cells of the jacket and from those in the egg. 

 A vacuole is reported (Ferguson) at the end of the egg nearest 

 the neck of the archegonium and this is regarded as a sort of 

 receptive spot since the pollen tube discharges its contents into 

 this cavity. The egg nucleus is very large and its contents are 

 not arranged with the regularity generally present in resting 

 nuclei. There are numerous bodies which Chamberlain believes 

 to be chromatic in composition that look very much like nucleoli 

 and have been so designated by that writer. But there is gener- 

 ally one large unquestioned nucleolus and besides this many 

 smaller nucleoli are reported by Ferguson as held in the linin 

 reticulum. Then portions of the linin frequently take irregular 

 forms and stain heavily. There is also present besides the linin, 

 chromatin and nucleoli much granular material (metaplasm), 

 especially in the nuclei of younger eggs, which probably holds 

 some relation to the chromatin although it may readily be dis- 

 tinguished at certain times from that substance. 



Recent accounts of the spruce and fir, by Miyake (: O3a and 

 : O3b) describe conditions very much as in the pine. The egg of 

 the spruce (Picea) is apparently not so fibrous in structure but 

 proteid vacuoles give it a coarse granular structure. He finds 

 no evidence in support of Arnoldi's (: oob) peculiar views that 

 the proteid vacuoles are derived from nuclei that have passed 

 into the egg from cells of the sheath. They are simply masses 

 of nutritive material. There is some doubt whether the vacuoles 

 present at the end of the egg really represent a differentiated 

 receptive spot. The egg of the fir (Abies) conforms in all 

 essentials to the structure in the pine and spruce. There are 

 numerous proteid vacuoles. 



