86 



THE CONNECTIVE TISSUES, BY A. ROLLETT. 



an inch and a half, these cells are on the average O0256 in 

 length, and 0'0096 in breadth ; their nuclei are round or 

 slightly oval ; they have a granular aspect, but the granules 

 possess no peculiar brilliancy, and the whole nucleus is not 

 distinguished from the surrounding protoplasm by any very 

 sharp line of demarcation. The protoplasm of the cell appears 

 faintly clouded without distinct granulation. Where these 

 cells lie in close contiguity, their contour lines either altogether 

 disappear or are but feebly marked. The cells may be obtained 



Fig. 4. From the decidua of the embryo of a sheep three inches 

 in length. 



in an isolated condition at the edges of the preparation, or on 

 slightly breaking the specimen up with needles. 



When these appearances are visible, and they may be rendered 

 much more distinct by staining with carmine, we may easily ima- 

 gine we have a blastema containing nuclei or coalesced masses 

 of protoplasm, from the cleavage of which the fibrils originate, 

 before us ; but this period is still very remote from that at 

 which fibrils make their appearance in the peritoneum. The 



