No. 3-] BLOOD-PLATES OF THE HUMAN BLOOD. 655 



is my principal reason for identifying them as such. These 

 granules are sometimes well defined, sometimes with blurred 

 outlines, which latter, however, may be ascribed to imperfection 

 in staining, due perhaps to the surrounding haemoglobin. 



It is possible that these globules with granules are of a nature 

 similar to those described by Ludwig Bremer from the red blood- 

 cells of Tcstiido Carolina. There are, however, some very great 

 differences in structure and shape, due perhaps in part to the 

 methods employed by Bremer, whose preparations were prin- 

 cipally fixed with osmic acid. When I employed his method, I 

 was not able to bring out any of the finer structures of these 

 groups, and I am satisfied that osmic acid, as well as most 

 other fixatives used, instead of fixing, distorts the structure 

 of the blood-cells. But there are some characteristics in the 

 paranuclei of Bremer which are not found in the cells now 

 considered. His paranuclei are less regularly situated and 

 often appear to be connected with the true nucleus. I have 

 at times found structures similar to Bremer's in Die7nyctylus 

 torosns, in which species I have, however, never seen any 

 globules similar to those in Nccturiis and AmpJiinma. Taking 

 all in all, it seems as if the globules of these genera are dif- 

 ferent from the paranuclei of Tcstiido; or, if of the same origin, 

 they must possess a different function. 



XIV. Function of the Globules. 



In none of my preparations did I succeed in finding any 

 erythrocytes in mitosis, and therefore cannot decide whether 

 the globules and granules have any function connected with 

 cell-division. I doubt their having any such function, as their 

 great number would rather tend to disarrange karyokinesis than 

 to assist it. Any other function that may be ascribed to them 

 is probably of a purely mechanical nature. How this is possible 

 will, I think, be more clear when we remember, as I have before 

 pointed out, that there are two kinds of red blood-corpuscles, 

 one of which is rounder than the other and does not pos- 

 sess the numerous globules of the longer kind. The unusual 

 length of the red cells carrying the globules is most striking. 



