475 
Mother-cells of Smilacina racemosa (Z.), Desf . 
synaptic state. These results show that there is an increase in the volume 
of the nuclear cavity, and also a decrease in the space which the chromatin 
mass occupies. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 show progressive steps in the arrange¬ 
ment of the chromatin to form the synaptic mass. 
Many cases were found in which the mass of contracting or contracted 
chromatin threads was fastened or swung to the nuclear membrane by fine 
strands as shown by Mottier (’ 07 ) and others, and is here shown in Figs. 6 , 
7, and 8. The position of the synaptic mass in the nuclear cavity seems to 
have no special significance, as the ball is located differently in different cells 
of the same loculus. The most common position was found to be close to 
one side of the cavity (Fig. 8), but other angles of sectioning would of course 
show masses in the same relative positions differently. There is no special 
position relative to gravity. 
Fig. 6 shows the chromatin mass drawn away from the nuclear mem¬ 
brane, and its position is probably due partly to the expansion of the 
membrane, and partly to the contraction of the chromatin contents. Here 
the chromatin appears as lumpy portions of threads, which, when viewed 
from the standpoint of the stages preceding it, are due to the running 
together of some of the granules and the contraction of the whole thread. 
Some portions of the thread seem thicker than others, as McAllister (T 3 ) 
has found, but no real pairing is apparent. Fig. 7 shows a slightly later 
stage, in which the chromatin appears balled up around the large nucleolus, 
and the threads are becoming more uniform in thickness. Some portions 
of the thread are drawn out from the mass by the strands which connect 
them to the nuclear membrane. Cut ends are shown where the knife has 
sectioned what were probably loops extending from the mass. These loops 
are not made up of double threads. Figs. 11 and 11 show tangential 
sections of late synaptic stages, and show loops and places where portions 
of the thread run along parallel to each other or in close proximation. They 
appear, however, as separate portions of thread rather than as portions of 
a double or paired thread. Figs. 9 and 10 were drawn from cells in the 
same loculus and side by side, with cell-walls not yet separated. They are 
typical stages showing the chromatin coming out of synapsis, but show 
nothing that indicates any pairing or previous pairing of threads. Fig. 13 
shows a slightly older stage, and was found in a loculus with other nuclei in 
which the spireme threads were evenly distributed. 
It cannot be said with certainty that there is a fusion of maternal and 
paternal chromatin in the synaptic state, because there is no means of dis¬ 
tinguishing between parts of the chromatin on any such basis. Because of 
the fact that we can see the partial contraction of the chromatin into thread¬ 
like portions before they enter the synaptic state, and as tangential views 
show this condition persisting, there seems to be no indication that synapsis 
is other than a contraction of the chromatin and a subsequent shortening 
