The Influence of a Gonadotrophin on the Seasonal Changes in the Testis and Deferent Duct of the Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
1. Male chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) were treated with gestyl, a gonadotrophin prepared from pregnant mare serum, in different seasons; using different techniques their testes and deferent ducts were histologically studied after autopsy on 11 August, 30 November, 28 January, and 5 May. 2. After Champy-fixation and Altmann-staining two types of interstitial cells can be distinguished in the intertubular tissue of sexually active chaffinches: lipoid cells. (= Leydig cells) and secretion cells. 3. Results of gestyl-administration: In summer- and winter-birds (PI. I) whose testes are in the resting stage, the testis-tubule diameter shows a strong enlargement, which is partly due to the plasma of the cells being distinctly inflated; spermatogenesis does not take place. In the intertubular tissue lipoid and secretion cells appear in abnormally large numbers. In 10 days the deferent ducts pass over from the quiescent into the fully-activated stage. In spring-birds (Pl. III), being in the reproductive stage, the administration of gestyl has practically no effect. In this stage the intertubular tissue also contains both lipoid and secretion cells. 4. From the results mentioned under 3, and the fact that in the control bird of 28 January, being in the beginning of the progressive stage (Pl. II), many lipoid cells were found, whereas its deferent ducts were still quiescent, it is concluded that only the secretion cells produce the male sex-hormone. The lipoid cells, which amongst others contain cholesterol, possess only a trophic function. 5. The difference in reaction of the seminiferous tubules of birds to chorionic and hypophyseal gonadotrophins as well as the function of the interstitial cells are discussed. Most opinions on the last-mentioned subject are not sufficiently well founded, as the investigators used routine techniques only for the cytological investigation of the interstitial tissue.