HISTOLYSIS OF FAT-BODY OF APIS 591 



of the basophile granules into the cytoplasm is considerably more 

 striking, more abrupt, and in a sense more violent than in the 

 worker. The nucleus, instead of being enclosed by fat-vacuoles 

 in all but two, or a few regions literally sprawls all over the cell, 

 and sends out what might be described as trabecular processes in 

 every direction even as far as the periphery. The fat-vacuoles 

 are also smaller, both relatively and actually, than in the worker. 

 The nuclear granules are carried with these trabeculae pretty 

 evenly throughout the cell, not onlj^ in a few directions or from 

 a few poles of the nucleus as in the cell of the worker larva.^ 

 (pi. 3). The appearance is almost that of an explosive phenom- 

 enon, and the result is that the granules are not only more im- 

 mediately dispersed through the cj^toplasm, but all begin 

 their development at about the same time (pi. 1 , fig. 8) , and they 

 tend to remain more nearly the same size throughout the cell's 

 existence. The diffusion of cytoplasmic and nuclear material is 

 also more extensive in the queen larva. Instead of three quite 

 clearly defined zones, consisting of peripheral cytoplasm lightly 

 staining and interspersed with fat-globules, central cytoplasm 

 more densely staining, and nuclear sap, there are now two regions 

 irregularly disposed, consisting, respectively, of the peripheral 

 cytoplasm and its fat-globules and the central cytoplasm and 

 nuclear sap interdiffused.^ The nuclear granules do not remain 

 in the denser region; the two cytoplasmic areas gradually diffuse. 

 The nucleus reestablishes itself out of the diffused mass into an 

 irregular many-processed body containing the typical chromatic 

 material in a clear lightly staining medium. The later stages 

 approach very closely the later stages of the worker pupae^ 

 (pi. 2, figs. 15^ 16). 



* Plate 3 shows twenty cells from one-half of a single cross-section of a queen 

 larva, just in the stage of nuclear dispersion. The nuclear area, shaded black, 

 can here be distinguished by the methylene-blue stain, though eosin stains nucleus 

 and cytoplasm both. 



* The granules of the peripheral trabeculae, outside the nucleus proper, stain 

 less densely with nuclear stains (pi. 3). 



^ The exact nature of the difference in food which might occasion this difference 

 in metabolic rate has not been investigated in detail. It is known that the queen 

 larva is fed during its whole feeding period upon the so-called 'royal jelly,' a 

 partially digested compound of fairly constant proportions of fat, carbohydrate, 



