189I.] NEW-YORK MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 109 



Claus remarks on pigment-cells in cephalopods, as Sepia and 

 Loligo : " The walls of the pigment-cells are formed of a cellular 

 membrane, to which numerous radiating muscular fibres are at- 

 tached. When these contract the cells are pulled into a star- 

 shape, and the pigment is distributed. When contraction ceases 

 the cell returns, by the elasticity of the wall, to its original spherical 

 shape, and the pigment is concentrated into a small space, thus the 

 animal changes color. As far as color is concerned, there are 

 usually two kinds of chromatophores, placed near and one above 

 the other. They are connected with a special centre on the 

 stalk of the optic ganglion, and they cause a rapid interchange of 

 blue, red, yellow, and dark color." 



In amphibians the various colorings of the skin are principally 

 due to branched pigment-cells of the cutis. The change of color 

 in frogs is caused by changes in the form of these cells. 



2. Pollen in honey of the Hive-bee. When bees gather nectar 

 from the flowers, they also gather ripe pollen, which is brushed off 

 by the hairs which cover the body Bees, like flies, frequently 

 clean their bodies. This act of cleansing is chiefly accomplished 

 by the fore legs, on which they have a comb-like attachment — 

 exhibited before this Society on several occasions. And the col- 

 lected pollen, often carried home in large loads, they fasten on 

 the broadened part of the hind legs, the " pollen baskets." * 



Even honey taken from the hive invariably contains more or 

 less of pollen ; and the scum, forming on honey after standing 

 for some time, consists almost exclusively of pollen grains and a 

 few other impurities, such as hairs of bees and butterflies. 1 he 

 presence of these impurities is a good test of the quality of honey. 

 Large quantities of glucose, made from maize, are sold under 

 the name of honey. Such honey, as might be expected, con- 

 tains no pollen. 



Mr. Zabriskie explained his exhibits as stated on page loi. 



Mr. Dudley explained his exhibits of Termites in blocks of 

 White Ash prepared by Mr. Beaumont. Each block has a shal- 



*The Hive-bee certainly uses also the mandibles and the legs in collecting pollen, es- 

 pecially when the latter is abundant in the particular flowers which it is at the time 

 frequenting. And in such times of abundance the loads in the corbicula?, or "pollen 

 baskets," may be seen to be increased by a rapid and very peculiar combined motion of 

 all the legs, passing bacKward the pollen mixed with adhesive nectar, while the bee 

 rises from and is still hovering over the flower.— Ed. 



