No. 488] NOTES AND LITERATURE 533- 



developed parthenogenetically. According to Baehr/ the walking 

 stick Bacillus rossii must be added to the list of parthenogenetic species 

 in the development of which the second polar body is formed, and the 

 first divides in two. There is no evidence of their functioning further 

 for they apparently degenerate and disappear. 



Contrary to a generally accepted belief that parthenogenesis in this, 

 species quickly leads to degeneration, the author reared perfectly 

 healthy females from at least the ninth parthenogenetic generation. 

 Apparently only females are produced,— it is a case of normal thely- 

 tokv. 



W. A. R. 



Phagocytosis. — By means of a clever technique ^Nlcrcier^ has been 

 able to throw new light upon the much debated question as to tlie 

 nature of the phagocytes in the batrachians and the insects. On 

 injecting sterilized, powdered carmine before the beginning of meta- 

 morphosis he found that it was taken up by the leucoc}ies and that 

 leucoc\-tes thus marked were yet capable of phagocj-tosis. Through 

 this method he was able to demonstrate beyond a doubt the active 

 participation of the leucocytes in the degeneration of the muscle 

 fibers. In the case of the batrachians the muscles exhibited signs of 

 degeneration at the time that the leucocA-tes entered but in the case of 

 the fly r'alliphora siicli signs were not to be detected microscopically. 

 The fil)(M- l)( (oin(>s bn.kcn up into sarcolytes which are engulfed by the 

 phago. vtcs. riiriv is no such phenomenon as the formation of 

 myoclasts and cons(Hiucnt autophagoc\-tosis. The author was able 

 to demonstrate with ecjual clearness the active participation of the 

 leucocytes in the destruction of the fat body of Calliphora and to dis- 

 tinguish them from the so-called " pseudonuclei " of Berlese. 



W. A. R. 



Histolysis in Queen Ants.— Janet ^ has studied in queen ants, the 

 degeneration of the wing muscles, which begins xery soon after the 



' Baehr, W. B. v. '07. Uber die Zahl der Richtungsk(>rper in partheno- 

 genetisch sich entwickelnden Eiern von Bacillus rossii. Zool. Jahrb. Aiiat. 

 xxiv pp. 174-192. PI. 16. 



2 Mercier, L. '06. Les processus yihasooA-taires iiondant la metamorphose 



pp. 1-151, pis. 1-4. 



Chez les reines des Fourmis. C. ll. Ai ad. :^ci. Paris, ixliv, 1907, pp. 393-196. 



