Conti". toTvards tlie Embryology cand Anatomy of Polistes pallipes. 201 



developed. The oldest oöcyte is still small as compared to the size 

 of the mature egg. Distally the Contents of the tubiile show a farther 

 disintegration and the position in the tabule in which the very youngest 

 stages can be found is further towards the tip. The youngest stages 

 must be passed over as they are now restricted to a rather narrow 

 zone, are more diffieult to study, and show nothing new. Far distal 

 in the tubule we find but few regulär cells, and believe that this 

 part has nothing further to do with the production of cells which are 

 to play an active part. 



While we have said that the early development of the cells 

 passes rapidly in this stage, we find the nuclei of both oöcytes and 

 primitive nurse-cells passing through the same stages we have already 

 noted. The early differentiation of the cells is the same but either 

 very rapid or partly abbreviated. Dividing cells, except the epithelial, 

 are restricted to a zone in which they are very numerous, occur in all 

 stages of mitosis, and may be found in groups (Fig. 70) or scattered 

 singly among the other cells. 



Before synapsis there takes place in the oöcyte nucleus the 

 formation of a number of chromosome like threads (Fig. 71). After 

 synapsis the threads distribute themselves throughout the nucleus. 

 At first (Fig. 72) they are shorter and irregulär, but soon one notices 

 that the nuclei have clear spireme-threads running through them; 

 some of these are fairly straight, while others, especially the longer 

 ones, are curved (Fig. 73). From the greater size of the nucleus the 

 threads are now more distinct and longer than before synapsis, 

 whether these are all of an equal length, or parts of a number of 

 long threads, I am unable to say : they nearly always show a Varia- 

 tion in their length. Here and there nuclei are found in this 

 Position in the tubule which, from a surface view, might be taken 

 for a nucleus with a Single spireme-thread (Fig. 74). Xuclei similar 

 to these few we have last described continue for some distance down 

 the tubule, until just before we find the oöcytes arranging themselves 

 in the middle. Then there occurs a breaking up of the threads, 

 they become shorter and loose their regulär form, and some begin 

 to form small masses. As we pass from this stage to the older 

 oöcytes we never again meet with this structure. 



At that part of the tubule where we find the first indication of 

 a Chamber, a common one for both oöcyte and nurse cells, the beaded 

 threads in the oöcyte nucleus have become, as such, entirely lost. 

 The breaking up which we noticed in the previous stage has gone 



