THE HYPOPHYSIS IN KEPTILES 265 



sionally occur in the peripheral zone of the infundibular wall 

 but none were observed in its cavity. However, there are many 

 cylindrical spaces, containing no stainable substance, in the 

 infundibular wall. In one lizard numerous small round masses, 

 varying in size and staining a deep blue (eosin-methylene blue) 

 occurred in the cells of the pars intermedia. In some snakes 

 darkly-staining round masses about the size of the nucleoli are 

 present in many of the reddish-tinted cells of the anterior lobe. 

 These masses are eccentric in position, often lying near the 

 periphery of the cell. 



Stendell ('13) described somewhat similar masses, which he 

 suggested might be coagulated secretion, in the cells of the 

 intermediate lobe of the elasmobranchs and amphibians. . How- 

 ever, he found the masses vacuolated and staining yellow with 

 picric acid. In reptiles they are not vacuolated and stain with 

 eosin, iron haematoxylin and orange G. or with methylene blue. 



Nerve supply 



In turtles stained by Ranson's modification of CajaPs method 

 there is no evidence of any nerve fibers entering the hypophysis 

 from the infundibulum. In all of the specimens, except one, 

 stained by various methods, a definite, uninterrupted, fibrous 

 layer is found between the infundibular outgrowth and the pars 

 intermedia. In the large alligator, however, there are many 

 finger-like projections of the infundibular wall into the sur- 

 rounding connective tissue and tubules of the pars intermedia. 

 These are especially numerous in the region of the anterior end 

 of the pars intermedia and come from all sides of the infundibu- 

 lar outgrowth. Many small projections pierce the connective 

 tissue sheath, spreading fan-like, and apparently ending in the 

 connective tissue. Other longer projections seem to be con- 

 tinuous with the epithelial columns ; at least no connective tissue 

 separates them. In these latter projections it is often difficult 

 to distinguish between epithelial and nervous parts. Indeed, the 

 nervous end appears as an epithelial cord in which the cells are 

 markedly vacuolated and resemble the centers of some glandular 



