88 MORPHOLOGY OF SPERMATOPHYTES 



At the time of its organization, the egg nucleus is no larger 

 than that of the ventral canal cell, or of the nutritive jacket 

 cells, but it begins immediately a very rapid and a very great 



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A ^sg/;:v; v v^> 



FIG. 6Y. Finns Laricio : Two nuclei showing the collection of the chromatin nucleoli. 

 into a definite area; x 500. After CHAMBERLAIN. 



enlargement. It moves towards the center of the egg with great 

 rapidity, and attains a size that seems out of all proportion to 

 its original bulk and to the time employed. During this en- 

 largement changes occur in the nucleus which have been differ- 

 ently interpreted, but which are decidedly at variance with the 

 cytological phenomena observed in the eggs of Angiosperms. 

 The chromatin seems to be very scanty and the nucleoli become 

 numerous. Chamberlain 39 has concluded that the chromatin 

 takes the form of nucleoli, which finally collect from all parts of 

 the nucleus to a definite area near the center, where they 

 take the form of elongated masses that undoubtedly represent 

 the chromatin of the nucleus (Fig. 67). In the cytoplasm of 

 the egg the nutritive materials derived from the jacket cells 

 become prominent, and among them the nuclei (" proteid vac- 

 uoles ") are conspicuous. 



