1901] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 115 
phological elements found in urine, the best stain that we 
have yet found—and we have been experimenting in this 
direction for a quarter of a century—is boro-eosin. It is 
prepared by dissolving one gr. of borax in 19 ccm. of dis- 
tilled water on the one side, and on the other, 50 cgm. of 
eosin in a mixture of 10 cem. of alcohol and 40 ccm. dis- 
tilled water, and mixing the solutions. Filter and keep 
in a glass stoppered bottle.—WNat. Drug. 
BIOLOGICAL NOTES. 
CLASSIFICATION OF POLLENS.—The subject has been to 
me of great interest, and after 45 years of constant though 
intermittent examination, it may be interesting to some 
to compare a few notes. Now the shapes of pollen are 
doubtless the first striking facts, and I have been struck 
by the identity of shape of ail the Composite—viz., glo- 
bular and spiked like the horse-chestnut hull. But the 
forms are very numerous. There are many four-keeled 
or four-lobed ellipsoids, the breadths being from 4 to 4 
of the lengths. Then, of course, the sizes vary immense- 
ly ; the evening primrose and the poinsetta are 1-160in. 
in length, though totally different in shape. The azalea 
is the smallest I have. It isspheroidal, and only 1-2200in. 
Mould spires I measure to be 1-8000in., and so there is 
endless variety of size, shape, color, and sometimes sur- 
face markings—to wit, the geranium and the passion flow- 
er. Iam curious to know whether anybody has hitherto 
noticed the similarity of the shapes of the pollen of all 
the Composite. I may mention that I always use a fin. 
objective and an eyepiece giving me 18-1000in. as diame- 
ter of field always lighted by a parabolic reflector from 
below, getting the pollen on a common slide. Habit has 
given me great rapidity of examination, and the colors 
and markings come out beautifully. I have had hours of 
great enjoyment from this alone.— W.J.S. in Hng Mech. 
