AND ON THE DIRECT AGENCY OF THE SPERMATOZOON. 287 



impregnation can or cannot be effected by the direct application of the diffluent sub- 

 stance of the spermatozoon to the egg, but also whether the influence of the 

 spermatic body is essentially dynamic in its character. 



The quantity of spermatic fluid obtained for these experiments, mixed with a 

 small proportion of water, measured about fifteen minims ; and to this a further 

 quantity of water was added, making the whole thirty minims. This was divided 

 into three equal portions. The first portion (a) was triturated slowly and con- 

 tinuously for fifteen minutes, after which it was slightly turbid, and on examination 

 with the microscope was found to contain a large quantity of granules, each of which 

 did not exceed in size one half of the diameter of a spermatozoon. It also still con- 

 tained a good abundance of active spermatozoa, although the quantity of these was 

 greatly reduced, and the movements of those which remained were impeded by the 

 quantity of granules. The second portion of fluid (b) was triturated with the addition 

 to it of about one grain weight of well-washed sand, and after three or four minutes 

 presented a turbid appearance. At the end of seven minutes, when examined by the 

 microscope, it was found to contain a great abundance of organic granules, inter- 

 mixed with the sand, and the number of spermatozoa had been greatly reduced ; and 

 three or four minutes later nearly the whole of the spermatozoa were destroyed. 

 The following experiments were then made with eggs obtained from the female with 

 which the male that supplied the fluid had been paired. The temperature of the 

 atmosphere at the commencement of the experiments was 57 FAHR., and that of the 

 water employed 55 FAHR. At the end of the experiment, the commencement of 

 segmentation of the yelks, the atmosphere was 61 FAHR., and the water 59 FAHR. 



One hundred and seventy-nine eggs were passed into a glass dish, and the triturated 

 fluid (a) was immediately poured over them, and the dish quickly filled with water. 

 The yelks of many of the eggs soon became irregular and contracted, and at the end 

 of four hours and thirty-one minutes segmentation had commenced in some of them, 

 and ultimately, sixty-seven embryos were produced; so that one hundred and twelve 

 eggs were not fecundated. 



One hundred and sixty-seven eggs were passed into a second dish, and the fluid (b) 

 which had been triturated with sand was immediately added to them, and afterwards 

 the dish filled with water as in the preceding. But not a single egg became fecun- 

 dated, nor was a single embryo produced. It must be stated, however, that much of 

 this result was afterwards found to have been due to the admixture of sand with the 

 fluid acting mechanically, as I shall presently show. 



Two hundred and thirty-nine eggs were also passed into a dish of the same dimen- 

 sions as the preceding, and the third portion of fluid (c) reserved for simple artificial 

 impregnation, and which had not been triturated, was supplied to them at, as nearly as 

 possible, the same time as the triturated fluid to the preceding. This was at thirty- 

 five minutes after it was obtained. Segmentation commenced in nearly the whole of 

 these eggs in four hours and fourteen minutes, and at the end of the fifth day two 



