540 E. N. PAVLOVSKY AND E. J. ZARIN 



sotii-led, since there are hitherto no data in literature referring 

 to Hpase in the bee. 



Petersen, on faihng to discover fat in the epithehal cells of 

 the digestive stomach of the bee with the help of osmic acid 

 and the stain-sudan iii, writes : ' Als sieher darf ich wohl 

 hinstellen, dass das meiste Fett, aiich der normalen Nahrung, 

 den Darm passiert, ohne gespalten oder resorbiert zu werden.' 



For the detection of lipase we employed 1 per cent, solution 

 of monolnityrin and the emulsion of Provence oil. 



In all the experiments conducted the same results were 

 obtained in general. An increase in acidity both of the mono- 

 butyrin solution and the Provence oil emulsion was observed 

 only in those test-tubes that contained extracts from the 

 stomachs ; this increase of acidity varied in the experiments 

 conducted between 0-3-0-6 c.c. ^q NaOH, the ferment acting 

 more intensely on the monobutyrin than on Provence oil. 

 The extracts from the remaining portions of the intestine 

 produced no distinct influence upon the acidity of the medium. 



Thus, our experiments show that the stomach of the bee and 

 drone produces, together with other ferments, lipase as well ; 

 the bee is therefore capable of assimilating fatty substances. 



Pepsin. 



For the determination of pepsin we employed : 



(1) Sterile 1 per cent, gelatine acidulated with hydrochloric 

 acid to a distinctly acid reaction, and poured 2 c.c. of this into 

 thin test-tabes. To this quantity of gelatine were added 

 2 c.c. of extracts of ferments tested and 3 drops of toluol ; 

 the mixture was placed in the thermostat at 35-8° C, and every 

 twenty-four hours the degree of its coagulation was observed 

 on being cooled. 



(2) The fibrin from blood. For our purposes we placed a piece 

 of fibrin into a mixture consisting of 8 c.c. of sterile water 

 acidulated with hydrochloric acid to a distinctly acid reaction, 

 2 c.c. of extracts of ferments tested and 3 drops of toluol ; 

 the test-tube being placed in the thermostat at 35-8° C. 



