392 MEAD. [VoL. XII. 
granules, which are more numerous at first near the periphery 
of the egg. The granules are held in the meshes of a reticu- 
lum formed of beaded strands of cytoplasm, whose purple color 
is in striking contrast to the yellow yolk. 
In most ovarian stages only a part of the cytoplasm presents 
the loose reticular appearance ; the rest remains as dark purple* 
masses. Occasionally sections show but one of these masses, 
crescentic in outline, located near the nucleus. I presume 
that this is equivalent to the “ paranucleus”’ or “ yolk-nucleus”’ 
of certain authors. These masses are not homogeneous, but 
resolve themselves into a radially compressed cytoplasmic net- 
work, the strands of which are 
often clearly visible and are 
continuous with the more open 
network which contains the 
yolk. At first they fill the 
larger part of the egg outside 
the nucleus ; but as the egg 
accumulates yolk the meshes 
at the periphery of the masses" 
expand into an open reticulum 
so as to occupy the increasing 
dimensions of the egg (Fig. I). 
Fie. I. — Section of ovary. Camera. Disso- Through this process of con- 
lution of the paranucleus. 
tinuous fraying out, the masses 
become thinner and thinner and are finally completely resolved 
into the cytoreticulum. 
The reticulum can be traced with ease to the extreme peri- 
phery of the egg, where in section one can follow a continuous 
beaded line entirely around the egg. The nuclear membrane 
is evidently a part of the same network. The general appear- 
ance of the reticulum varies with the age, the older ovarian 
eggs having the nodes the most pronounced. In eggs freed or 
about to be freed from the surface of the ovary, the nodes 
become less frequent and still more prominent, until at length 
a large portion of the reticulum is transformed into a multitude 
of small asters (Fig. II). Many of them, however, are by no 
means diminutive, particularly those in the vicinity of the 


