412 
J. BRONTE GATENBY. 
these cytoplasmic bodies, but this cytologist unfortunately 
gave a confused account of idiosome, small mitosome, and 
centrosome. Nevertheless the figs. 8 and 10 are very 
good, and I have adopted some of Platner ; s nomenclature 
(Text-fig. 1, V). Quite recently Doncaster has studied the 
germ-cells of Abraxas and Pieris (5). With regard to 
Meves’ two types, Doncaster mentions that Prof. E. B. 
Wilson suggests that the “apyrene” type may be abnormal. 
Doncaster says quite rightly, “ The suggestion of Meves 
that “apyrene” spermatozoa are capable of fertilising an 
egg, but not of transmitting the paternal hereditary 
characters is not borne out by breeding experiments, nor 
do these confirm the suggestion that the two types of 
spermatozoa determine different sexes in the fertilised egg '* 
(vol. i, p. 183). 
Doncaster in this paper also figures abnormal mitosis of 
the “ apyrene " spermatocyte divisions. On the whole 
Doncaster is more concerned with the chromosomes and sex 
than with cytoplasmic bodies. 
Technique and Material. 
Almost every modern observer of the germ -cells of 
Lepidoptera has used the strong Flemming-iron haematoxylin 
method. Some of my material was so treated, but I soon found 
this method gave only a caricature of the cells. Many acids, 
and especially acetic acid, either altogether destroy, or at 
least distort most plasma structures ; though acetic acid 
helps to give a clearly differentiated preparation, it should 
be avoided altogether, as Champy has already pointed out. 
Most of my material was fixed either in strong Flemming 
without acetic acid, or in Champy's fluid. Flemming, with 
reduced acetic acid, according to Meves, was also used. All 
the other better known fixatives were tried, but were mostly 
found useless for my purpose. Sections were stained on the 
slide with either iron haematoxylin, Ehrlich's haematoxylin 
and Orange Gr, methyl blue eosin. Mayer's acid haemalum. 
