THE MICROCOSM OF THE EGG 187 
statement, we hasten to add that 48 is also the 
number of the snail and of one of the varieties of 
banana. In truth, the important fact is not the 
number itself, but its persistence; and that is only 
an instance of the doggedness of specificity. 
One of the outstanding results of the intricate 
process of ripening or maturation in the history of 
the germ-cells is that the number of chromosomes 
is reduced to one-half. When the sperm-cell 
and the egg-cell unite in fertilization the normal 
number is restored. In the case of the egg-cell the 
reduction usually takes place in the formation of 
the first of two polar bodies—minute daughter-cells 
of the ovum that come to nothing. If the chromo- 
somes of the egg-cell be compared to a pack of 
cards, half of the pack may be said to be thrown 
away prior to the beginning of each individual life. 
If the chromosomes are the bearers of hereditary 
qualities, the halving of the pack may be one of the 
opportunities for fresh permutations and com- 
binations, which form the raw material of evolu- 
tion. The ripe ovum, after a brief attempt to go on 
actively living, sinks into static equilibrium. It is 
paralyzed by its own waste-products (auto-intoxi- 
cation), and becomes relatively impermeable to 
outside influences. 
As every one knows, what normally reawakens 
a certain proportion of the mature ova from their 
inertia is fertilization. This implies many distinct 
occurrences. (1) The sperm-cell enters the egg-cell 
and there is an intimate and orderly union of the 
