The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 (of 4) : $b Separate memoirsBalfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
Science
The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 (of 4) : $b Separate memoirs
Balfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
Embryology; Zoology
In Oellacher's[105] figures, Pl. 23, figs. 19-21, peculiar beadings of the
sides of the earlier formed furrows are distinctly shewn. No mention of
these is made in the text, but they are unquestionably similar to those I
have described in the Elasmobranch furrows. In the case of Elasmobranchii I
pointed out that not only were the sides of the furrow beaded, but that
there appeared in the protoplasm, close to the furrows, peculiar
vacuole-like cavities, precisely similar to the cavities which were the
cause of the beadings of the furrows.
Footnote 105: _Loc. cit._
The presence of these seems to shew that the molecular cohesion of the
protoplasm becomes, as compared with other parts, much diminished in the
region where a furrow is about to appear, so that before the protoplasm
finally gives way along a particular line to form a furrow, its cohesion is
broken at numerous points in this region, and thus a series of vacuole-like
spaces is formed.
If this is the true explanation of the formation of these spaces, their
presence gives considerable support to the views of Dr Kleinenberg upon the
causes of segmentation, so clearly and precisely stated in his monograph
upon Hydra; and is opposed to any view which regards the forces which come
into play during segmentation as resident in the nucleus.
I have not observed the peculiar threads of protoplasm which Oellacher[106]
describes as crossing the commencing segmentation furrows. I have also
failed to discover any signs of a concentration of the yolk-spherules,
round one or two centres, in the segmentation spheres, similar to that
observed by Oellacher in the segmenting eggs of Osseous Fish. The
appearances observed by him are probably connected with the behaviour of
the nucleus during segmentation, and are related to the curious bodies I
have already described.
Footnote 106: _Loc. cit._
With reference to the nuclei which Oellacher[107] has described as
occurring in the eggs of Osseous Fish during segmentation, there can, I
think, be little doubt that they are identical with the peculiar nuclei in
the Elasmobranch eggs.
Footnote 107: _Loc. cit._
He[108] says:
In an unsegmented germ there occurred at a certain point in
the section ... a small aggregation of round bodies. I do
not feel satisfied whether these aggregations represent one
or more nuclei.
Fig. 29 shews such aggregation; by focusing at its optical
section eleven unequally large rounded bodies measuring from
0.004 - 0.009 mm. may be distinguished. They lay as if in a
multilocular gap in the germ mass, which however they did
not quite fill. In each of these bodies there appeared
another but far smaller body. These aggregations were
distinguished from the germ by an especially beautiful
intense violet gold chloride colouration of their elements.
The smaller elements contained in the larger were still more
intensely coloured than the larger.
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