114 Bulletin Wisconsin Natural History Society. [Vol. 5, No. 2. 
probable that spermatozoa from all solutions recover to a greater 
or less degree on being added to the sea-water containing the eggs. 
That recovery is not complete, as Hertwig found it to be in 
the case for spermatozoa immersed in nicotin, is shown by the 
fact that eggs fertilized by spermatazoa, which had been immersed 
in weak solutions for a considerable time, or by spermatozoa 
immersed in strong solutions for a shorter time, the amount 
transferred invariably being the same, showed a large percentage 
of abnormalities in cleavage. The relation between the time of 
immersion of the spermatozoa and the number of eggs which 
divide after fertilization by such spermatozoa, is very striking, as 
shown by the following table, in which the results of the first 
series of experiments with Arbacia eggs and sperm are given. 
The eggs of one female, and the active sperm of one male, were 
used. The development of the eggs was observed for six days : 
TABLE I. 
Bxperiment a. Soi.utions oi^ Alcohoi,. 
Arbacia Eggs and Sperm. 
Per cent. 
Time 
Effect on 
Per cent. 
Development after 
Development »ft«r 
Alcohol. 
immersed. 
sperm. 
divided. 
24 hours. 
48 hours. 
10 
1 min. 
inactive 
2 
Dead. 
7 
1 min. 
active 
20 
Gastrulae. 
Plutei. 
t5 
1 min. 
active 
95 
Gastrulae. 
Plutei. 
t3 
1 min. 
active 
98 
Gastrulae. 
Plutei. 
tl 
1 min. 
active 
99 
Gastrulae. 
Plutei. 
iO 
10 min. 
inactive 
.5 
Dead. 
7 
10 min. 
active 
1 
Dead. 
5 
10 min. 
active 
90 
Blastulae& beg. Gast. 
Gastrulae. 
3 
10 min. 
active 
90 
& 2,% " 
Gastrulae. 
1 
10 min. 
active 
99 
& 10^ " 
Gastrulae. 
**Hertwig-, O. and R. "Ueber den Befruchtung-s und Teilung-svor- 
g"ang des tierischer Eies unter dem Einfluss ausserer Agentien," Jena, 
1887. 
tThe embryos developed from spermatozoa immersed in these 
solutions for 1 min. were alive the sixth day. All others vv^ere dead 
the fourth day. 
