John Samuel Budgett : biographical sketch / by Arthur E. Shipley.

  • Shipley, Arthur Everett, 1861-1927.
Date:
[1906]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: John Samuel Budgett : biographical sketch / by Arthur E. Shipley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    4 p.m. Another examined; the white area is now a mere plug, evidently the ‘ yolk plug of the blastopore.’ The shape of the egg is oval, the gelatinous envelope does not fit the egg closely, and is pretty firm. Preserved in formalin. Most of the eggs appear to be backward or not properly fertilized. They are clearly segmenting but irregularly, the pigment is scattered in patches and streaks, chiefly following the segmental furrows. At five to-day a Bari fisherman brought me two female P. senegalus, one had the oviducts full, the other had also a large portion of the ova free in the body cavity. I had two good males and tried to thoroughly fertilize them, then, spreading them on hatching tray, set them in hatch box, in the river. I noticed that many of the ova from the oviducts appeared to have begun segmenting, the body cavity was full of fluid, and I am inclined to think that there is internal fertilization. The vent of the female was swollen and protruding, suggesting that the female receives the milt from the anal fin of the male, together with a certain amount of water, though there must also be sufficient serum added to prevent coagulation of the gelatinous envelope. The tubules of the testis of the male used were greatly distended, and the sperm was clear and not opaque as in the other males. Hot sunshine in morning, downpour of rain in the afternoon. Temp, mid-day, 28 C. Temp, of water in river 28° C. 8 a.m. Am not making drawings until material more abundant and normal. 2*]th August. About 70 per cent, of the ova fertilized yesterday are developing. At 8 a.m. the blastopore was just closed while the embryonic plate extended in a pear-shaped manner from the latter. A series during the day were put in formalin. First series at 10 a.m. showed first appearance of the embryo. Second series at 2.30 p.m. showed uprising of neural folds around the plate. Third series at 8 p.m. showed closing of the folds over the plate. Brown pigment is irregularly scattered, chiefly on the upper pole of the eggs. Much pigment sinks into the neural groove. The head portion of the neural plate is last closed in, and then it is a little broader than the body portion. The yolk plug does not seem to be included in the neural groove.” For the next five days he was watching one of the most wonderful sights this world affords us, the development of an animal from the egg. After years of patience, after three un- successful journeys into the heart of Africa, he had at last succeeded where all others had failed, and as he watched under the microscope the gradual unfolding of the ovum, the formation