436 
George Arnold 
cells, whose development is inhibited at a certain stage, tbeir func- 
tion being to serve as nourishment to the egg cells. 
Some of the eggs whicli I shall call secondary eggs, never proceed 
beyond the middle prophase or pacbytene stage (Fig. 10, PL 1). After 
reacbiug this stage tkev seem to gradually degenerate, the cytoplasm 
decreasing, and the spireme (if the cell bas advanced so far) massing 
together in the nucleus into irregulär lurnps 1 ). As these secondary 
eggs get smaller, the definite ova get larger, and in the cytoplasm 
of the latter, yolk globules appear, tili at last in the late prophase, 
the whole nucleus is surrouuded by numerous yolk globules of varions 
sizes (See Figs. 11, 12, 14 and 15). Sections stained with Thionin 
and Orange G. (Figs. 13 and 16) do not show these globules. 
The stage preceding the maturation i. e. the resting stage of the 
previous oogonial division is seen in Figs. 1 and 17. Possibly Fig. 17 
is slightly earlier than Fig. 1. 
The nucleus contains numerous small chromatin masses connected 
together by thin Strands of liuin, aloug which are scattered minute 
granules. No nucleolus is visible. The cytoplasm is fairly homo- 
geneous, showing very faintly the fibrillär structure which becomes 
so marked in the later stages. 
The next stage is the commencement of the growth period. The 
cell is noticeably larger, and moreover, a large nucleolus now makes 
its appearance, and in the cytoplasm one or more small chromatic 
granules appear (Fig. 18). 
It will not be necessary to go into minute details of the changes 
which lead up to the formation of the thin spireme as the seriation 
from Figs. 1 to 5, Plate I. is sufficiently clear. But in order to avoid 
the Charge of having missed any important stage, I have figured 
several intermediate stages, so that the complete seriation is as follows. 
— Figs. 17, 1, 18, 19, 2, 3, 20, 4, 21, 22 and 5. In Figs. 18, 19 
and 2, it will be seen that the chromatin aggregations are no longer 
noticeable, the linin threads are more evenly covered with chromatin 
and the nucleus is very much larger than in the resting stage. Here 
and there two threads are seen to run parallel for some distance 
(Figs. 18 and 19), only to diverge widely apart farther on. 
*) Schleif bas described these degenerating ova. and bis Suggestion that 
they serve as nonrishment for those eggs which eventuallv complete the ma- 
turation, is most probable, and with which my own observations are entirely 
in accord. 
