Marquette—Spore Mother-Cells of Marsilia. 87 
tion. 5 Usually tlie chromatin strands can be quite readily fol¬ 
lowed throughout this stage, but at times unusually dense syn¬ 
aptic masses are met with in which the individual chromatin 
strands are practically indistinguishable. A striking feature 
of synapsis in Marsilia is that a large number of the strands 
converge toward a point on the nuclear membrane which lies 
on, or close to, the axis of the cell. Furthermore, at this point, 
closely in contact with the nuclear membrane, lies a nucleole, 
sometimes apparently two, differing from the other nucleoles 
of the nucleus. This comes out especially v r ell in preparations 
stained with the triple stain. Usually a considerable number 
of the nucleoles are still present at this stage, and the one lying 
at the focal point of the chromatin strands almost invariably 
shows a bright, deep red color, standing out sharply from the 
blue chromatin strands. The other nucleoles lying here and 
there in the nuclear cavity, on the other hand, show a some¬ 
what pale grayish-blue color. These figures are frequently of 
remarkable regularity, standing out with almost diagrammatic 
clearness. 
The chromatin strands during synapsis frequently show more 
or less of a characteristic orientation. In animal cells, 
the strands are centered upon the central body and the synaptic 
mass lies against the nuclear membrane on the side next to the 
central body. 6 The same is true of the Ascomycete Phyllac- 
tinia . 7 In the higher plants, the synaptic mass usually lies 
close to one side of the nuclear membrane, but in general the 
s As this was ready to go to press, my attention was called to a 
paper by Schaffner (Synapsis and synizesis. Ohio Naturalist , vii:4i, 
1907), in which he describes and figures synapsis in a sporocarp of 
M. quadrifolia and points out that the synaptic mass lies oil the side 
of the nucleus nearest the sporocarp wall, attributing this orientation, 
however, to the action of the fixing reagents. There is no occasion to 
enter into a discussion of this and other similar conclusions of the 
author concerning synapsis in general. 
e Farmer, J. B., and Moore, J. E. S.: The maiotic phase in animals 
and plants. Quart. Jour. Microscop. Sci., xlviii, FI. XL, Fig. 72. 
Schreiner, A. und K. E.: Ueber die Entwickelung der mannlichen 
Geschlechtszellen von Myxine ghitinosa. Arch, de Biol., xxi, Figs, 
52, 71, 170, etc. 
7 Harper, R. A.: Sexual reproduction and the organization of the 
nucleus in certain mildews. Carnegie Inst. Piibl. No. 37 (1905), PI. 
IV, Figs. 43-45. 
