6 
The Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol.XIII, No. 1, 
nuclear sap containing the mass of chromatin which has been left 
to one side. No evidence whatever was found to show that any 
contraction of the chromatin had taken place. The enlargement 
of the nuclear cavity and the consequent withdrawal of the 
membrane away from the chromatin gives the appearance of a 
contraction, but actual measurements failed to show any diminu¬ 
tion in chromatin area. 
During this stage definite changes take place in the nature of 
the chromatin threads as the spirem becomes differentiated. 
This view is somewhat similar to that expressed by Schaffner 
in Synapsis and Synizesis (21) although he believes that synizesis 
is a true shrinking of chromatin material due to the effect of the 
killing fluid on the nuclear contents, which has become loosened 
from the nuclear wall on account of the swelling of the nucleus. 
One important proof for this conclusion was the fact that in many 
instances there are symmetrical contractions showing the same 
peculiarities as in ordinary plasmolysis. On the other hand 
Gates and Davis whom I have quoted above believe this stage to 
be natural and do not believe it to be an artifact. They base 
their opinion on the fact that the contraction is of such constant 
occurrence in all forms studied. 
Because of the apparently peculiar process of chromosome 
formation reported for the Oenotheras differing somewhat from 
both the type of division held by Allen and others on the one hand 
and by Schaffner and others on the other, it seemed desirable to 
the writer to investigate the formation of the chromosomes in 
Fuchsia. Accordingly a study of the reduction division in the 
microsporocytes of Fuchsia was taken up under the direction of 
Professor John H. Schaffner, whose help and kindly criticisms have 
been of inestimable value throughout the whole year’s work. 
When starting the problem I expected to find the chromo¬ 
somes formed in the manner described by Gates for Oenothera 
rubrinerves and by Davis for Oenothera biennis. The most of 
my attention was directed toward finding how the chromosomes 
were formed. I wished to see whether it was by the thickening 
of the spirem followed by a transverse division by which the 2x 
number of chromosomes were differentiated and then cut off in 
pairs, which should afterward fold together to form the bivalents; 
or whether the spirem thickened and then folded and twisted 
around into the number of loops before a subsequent separation 
into the reduced number of chromosomes. These two methods 
are very similar in results but somewhat different in detail. Gates 
found the chromosomes formed in the first way described and 
since Fuchsia is not so distantly related to Oenothera, it was 
natural to expect to see the chromosome formation brought about 
in much the same way that Gates found in Oenothera. 
