52 
The Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol. XIII, No. 3, 
To briefly summarize the effect; we obtained, in every instance , 
a retardation of growth accompanied by a much greater retarda¬ 
tion in pigment development than would correspond to the 
retardation in growth. In some experiments where the concen¬ 
tration of the orcinol was very low and where the length of the 
immersion was short we did not obtain permanent after-effects 
and the later course of development resembled that in the checks. 
When, however, the strength of the orcinol was sufficiently high 
(0.020% to 0.025%) and the period of treatment sufficiently 
long, varying from one day to a week or more depending upon the 
initial age of the embryo, we have apparantly obtained permanent 
modifications. The nature of these effects depends to some 
extent upon the initial age of the egg or embryo. When eggs at a 
stage of development between the early blastula and late neural 
groove are kept in the solution less than six days they rarely show 
as abnormal types as those which have been exposed to the action 
of the drag for from 6 to 20 days. They do show, however, the 
typical retardation of pigment development, and various other 
characteristics (see below) sufficient to classify them as “orciny. ” 
Where these early embryos are kept in the solution more than 
six days, the course of development is decidedly different. The 
larva developes in many cases apparently normally though some¬ 
what slowly, until within a short time before hatching, or in some 
cases for several days after hatching, when huge swellings appear, 
sometimes filling the entire body with great serous cavities, 
through the walls of which may be seen the alimentary canal and 
blood vessels, stretched almost to breaking. In this condition 
they may live for days, but eventually die without further 
development. 
If, however, the embryos are older when treated— i. e. with the 
head strongly differentiated or at any later stage to the beginning 
of pigmentation (which occurs shortly before hatching)—the 
effect is widely different. In no instance do we obtain the blistered 
larvae, but instead, short heavy individuals, about one-third 
shorter and twice as broad as the checks. These animals we class 
as the true “orcinol type”. They are distinguished from the 
checks by their shorter length, greater girth, absence of any 
conspicuous spots, the development of heavy awkward “flippers” 
in the place of delicate limbs and toes, the coarse reticulation of 
the pigment pattern, their sluggish movements, and, what is most 
disappointing, their inability, or at least their disinclination, to 
take food. This last trait prevents our knowing how permanent 
the type may be, the better orcinol examples (which were numbered 
by the dozens) having, without exception, grown smaller and at 
last died, apparently of starvation, in an average of eight to nine 
weeks after hatching. A few of the less extreme types are still 
alive (Dec. 6) 161 days after removal from the solutions, and in 
almost every instance the coarse reticulations and the heavier 
body form still persist. 
