526 E. N. PAVLOVSKY AND E. J. ZARIN 



Petersen arrived at the conclusion that the spHtting of starch 

 proceeds to the formation of dextrins. In our experiments 

 to 2 c.c. of corresponding extracts we added 0-1 c.c. of 0-5 per 

 cent, solution of soluble starch, 8 c.c. water, and 2 drops 

 of toluol ; the test-tubes with the mixture were then placed 

 for one hour in a water-bath at 45° C. At the expiration of 

 this period the contents of the test-tubes were cooled, and to 

 them iodine solution in potassium iodide was added by drops. 



In all the experiments the extracts obtained from the 

 stomachs produced a positive result : after the addition of 

 iodine it always assumed a light-yellow coloration, whereas 

 the extracts from the remaining three portions of the intestine, 

 namely crop, mid-, and hind-guts, contained no amylase and 

 assumed a blue colour after addition of iodine. 



Thus our experiments proved that amylase is present only 

 in the stomach of the bee, whereas the remaining portions of 

 the intestine do not produce this ferment. In this case the 

 splitting of starch proceeds not only to the formation of dextrins, 

 as Petersen's experiments have shown, but to the formation of 

 maltose and dextrose. 



Owing to the presence of amylase in the digestive stomach the 

 bee can digest starchy food. 



The fact that Erlenmeyer and Planta discovered amylase 

 in all the three extracts (from the head, thorax, and abdomen) 

 is explainable on the basis of our findings in the following 

 manner : the amylase in the extract from the abdomen 

 doubtless is derived from the stomach of the bee ; the same 

 ferment in extracts from the head and thorax are probably 

 produced by the salivary glands, since the fore-gut (oesophagus) 

 passing through the named part of the l:)ody does not produce 

 this ferment. 



1 n u 1 a s e . 



As is known, inulase converts the polysaccharid-inulin into 

 levulose. Regarding the presence of this ferment in the intes- 

 tine of the bee there are no data in the literature. The results 

 obtained in our experiments allow us to conclude that the 

 intestine of the bee does not produce inulase. 



