66 
Sarah M. Baker. 
sicator and weighed ; the process of drying and weighing being 
repeated until the weight was constant. 
The advantages of this method are (a) the use of a large 
number of receptacles, ( i.e ., 50 receptacles estimated to represent 
about 4,200 conceptacles), and ( b ) the definite temperature used 
for drying the specimens, which it was not possible to obtain for 
the former experiments. Its disadvantages are :— (a) the very 
small weight of the gametes, which makes errors in weighing or 
the possible entrance of dust of considerable importance, and (b) 
the sliminess of the liquid that has contained the receptacles, which 
makes the whole process extremely tedious. 
The results obtained are shown in the Table below. They have 
been compared with those found by counting the bundles of 
oospores (as the weight of the bundles of sperms may be considered 
negligeable), by working out the proportions between the results 
found by the two methods ; and, on the whole, there is a tolerable 
agreement between them. 
Time Dry 
(in hours.) 
Weight in 
Grams. 
Proportion by 
Weight. 
Proportion by 
Counting. 
24 
0-0121 
100 
100 
17 
0-0141 
118 
129 
6 
0 0043 
36 
38 
3 
0-0034 
28 
40 
1 
0-0032 
26 
32 
Waxed 
0 0093 
65 
37 
Check ... 
00141 
100 
100 
Iced . 
— 
— 
59 
Freshwater ... 
0-0042 
125 
145 
Check... 
0-0034 
100 
100 
The general order obtained by the two methods is the same. 
The weighing-waxing experiment was done at the same time, and 
with the same material, as the icing experiments; so it is possibly 
more comparable with these than with the waxing experiments 
done by the counting method. The results have been plotted with 
a dotted line on the same diagram as the values obtained by 
counting to show the similarity between the two curves. 
