ATROPHY OF ORGANS FROM LACK OF NUTRITION 275 



Under the influence of this parasitic fungus which 

 makes its way to the anthers, the stamens of the 

 female flowers assume the form of those in male 

 flowers and in consequence the pistils of these 

 flowers abort from defect in nutrition. 



2. Severe or prolonged compression of a limb. A 

 long continued or forcible compression of a limb 

 results in atrophy of its extremity on account of 

 lack of nutrition from the compression of the blood- 

 vessels. 



3. Atrophy of the genitalia in neuter lees. Lack 

 of nutrition is also the cause of the arrested de- 

 velopment of the genitalia normal in neuter bees. 

 The neuters of bees and of some of their allies are 

 females in a state of arrested development. In 

 wasps, humble-bees, and hive-bees, it sometimes 

 occurs that the genitalia of these forms develop 

 sufficiently to be functional, thus resulting in the 

 appearance of small females. In most honeycombs 

 two kinds of cells are formed : in the smaller and 

 more numerous cells are placed the larvae destined 

 to become neuters, in the larger and less numerous 

 those destined to become queens or perfect females. 

 The food of the two sets of larvae is different ; 

 those in the larger cells are given " royal food " a 

 more nutritious substance. When some of the 

 royal food by an accident gets into a worker cell 

 the sexual organs of that larva are developed so 

 that a small female is formed. In this way as 

 many females as may be desired can be produced, 



