On day 2 after treatment of Lewis rat with 25mg of hydrocortisone, the cell number in the thymus was reduced to less than 10% of the matched control. By day 12 after hydrocortisone treatment the thymic cell population was recovered almost its original value and on day 24 after treatment the number of thymocytes was equivalent to that of normal thymocytes. The density distribution profile of hydrocortisone treated rats as compared with normal rats showed a marked decrease in the denser fraction D while the lighter fractions. (A plus B, and C) showed a considerable proportional increase. The proportion of dead cells in thymus suspension from hydrocortisone treated rats was higher than that from their normal counterparts. On separation, the dead cells accumulated selectively in the pellet and A fraction. The response of the thymocytes from hydrocortisone treated rats to PHA was increased compared to that from normal rats. Among the subpopulations, D fraction, which was relatively unresponsive in normal rats, showed a marked increase in PHA response and C fraction showed some increase in the response.