1 44 investigations on the Life-History 



ovaries, but out of the albumen and fat and phosphorus-containing salts 

 of the muscle the characteristic combination of the egg must he formed 

 by the profoundest chemical changes.*' 



He further states that " there is no doubt that the trunk muscles 

 contain more than* enough phosphoric acid to yield the phosphorus of 

 the ovary, with 1-1 per cent. P 2 O 5 in the fresh ovaiy, as against 2-3 

 per cent, to 2*6 per cent, in the dry sub-tance of the trunk muscles.'" 

 Ke gives no further figure in support of his statement. 



It must be remembered that in the bones of the fish there is an 

 abundant supply of phosphorus, and that this, as well as the supply in 

 the muscles, may be available for the ovaries. 



Before discussing the exchanges which take place between the phos- 

 phorus of the muscle and the genitalia, it will be well, in the first 

 instance, to consider in a general manner the nature of the phosphorus 

 compounds in each. 



1 . NATURE OF PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS. 

 Methods. 



The muscle after preservation in alcohol was pounded and repeatedly 

 extracted with hot alcohol and subsequently with ether. The extract 

 was evaporated and the phosphorus determined by igniting with caustic- 

 potash arid nitre (both phosphorus free) dissolving in water, acidifying, 

 filtering through paper extracted with acid, and precipitating the phos- 

 phates with ammonia-magnesia mixture, igniting, and weighing the 

 ash. From the magnesium phosphate the lecithin was calculated by 

 multiplying by 7'00. This factor was selected because it is midway 

 between the factors for stearin lecithin and olein lecithin. The phos- 

 phorus was determined by multiplying the magnesium phosphate bv 

 0-279. 



The phosphorus not as lecithin was determined as follows : From 

 1 grm. to 2-5 grms. of the residue after extraction with ether were taken 

 for analysis. This was burned with caustic potash and nitre and dissolved 

 in water. Strong nitric acid was added, and the solution was heated on 

 a steam bath for several hours. Next (lay nitrate of ammonia and 

 molybdate of ammonia in excess were added, and the solution was kept 

 warm and allowed to stand for 12 or 24 hours. Jt was then filtered, 

 and the filtrate again treated with molybdate of ammonia, and if any 

 precipitate fell this was also thrown on the filter paper. The yellow 

 precipitate was washed through the paper with ammonia solution, and 

 the phosphates precipitated with ammonia - magnesia mixture and 

 ignited. From the magnesium phosphates the phosphorus was cal- 

 culated. 



To ascertain the phosphorus as uucleins and as phosphates, the 

 residue after extraction of lecithin was then extracted with -2 per cent. 

 HC1., and the phosphorus determined in the extract. This extract 

 contained hardly any organic matter. , 



The phosphorus of the residue was finally determined. 



in this way the amount of phosphorus as lecithin, as inorganic 

 phosphates, ard as nucleins or pseudo- nucleins was ascertained. 



A. PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS OF THE MUSCLES. 



The amount of phosphorus in various form* in the muscles of different 

 animals has already been investigated by Katz. (Pflug. Arch., Bd. 63, 

 p. 1-18.) 



in the eel and pike the two fish examined by him he obtained the 

 following results : 



