28 



were obtained by treating the sperms with dilutions of 2.8^ 

 HaCl or 4.25^ NaHOg. Hot all the individuals are equally af- 

 fected by these solutions. Many of the sperms retain the un- 

 exploded conditions of the capsule for a long time in a Z% 

 MO3 solutions, and often none of them attain to the stage 

 represented in ?lg. 82 when treated with 1% KMO3. 



Sperms kept for several days in 2.8?^ HaCl exploded when 

 transferred to 4.25^ I^aHO^. Here we had an explosion when 

 the sperms were transferred from a solution of one salt to 

 that of another with equal osmotic pressure. Presh sperms 

 do not explode when placed in 4.25^ SaHO^; therefore the 

 sperms must have been changed by the HaCl, or the presence 

 of these two salts must have had an effect that neither had 

 when acting alone. To determine the factors here acting will 

 require further experimentation. 



Some of the sperms explode whenever they are transferred 

 to a slide and covered with a cover-glass. What may be the 

 cause of such explosions was not determined. Koltzoff found 

 that mechanical pressure would cause the explosion of the 

 sperms of some decapods. I failed to produce any explosion 

 by pressing on the cover-glass of a preparation containing 

 them. Koltzoff '06 made extensive researches to find some 

 specific stimulus that would cause a certain definite explosion 

 which he believed to be the normal one but failed to find 

 such a stimulus. It appears however that a careful investi- 

 gation of the conditions which initiate the process followed 

 up by an analysis of the conditions which may Increase the 



