690 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. LVI, No. 1459 



variety of ways and althougli it is hardly to be 

 expected that the reports would be uniform 

 under such conditions, it is felt, nevei'.theless 

 that they have considerable value on account 

 of the number of different methods by which 

 the samples were tested. One of the collab- 

 orators tested ithe samples by the simple stain- 

 ing of bacteria; two used them for counter- 

 s!taining in the Gram teehnic for staining bac- 

 teria. In .three cases they have been tested in 

 blood stains, in one case with hsematoxylin, in 

 another with methylen blue in the well-known 

 Wright method, and in the third without com- 

 bination with any other dye. Three of the 

 investigators used the samples in tissue stain- 

 ing as a counter-stain against h£ema!fcosylin. 

 One of ■ the investigators, besides using the 

 eosin in blood work and as a counterstain in 

 the Gram teehnic, reports results obtained in 

 staining cultures od: PenicilUum. These cul- 

 tures after being killed 'and fixed were stained 

 in mass, then mounted and examined. Lastly, 

 anoither collaborator reports using the samples 

 in two indicator media, one with brilliant 

 green and the other with methylen blue. 



The variety of these methods is sufficient so 

 that there is good reason to feel that any sam- 

 ple which gave good results in all cases can be 

 safely recommended. It was very clearly 

 demonstrated that in the great variety of pur- 

 poses for which these samples of eosin have 

 been used, the American samples almost with- 

 out exception are the best. Some may be 

 slightly better than others for certain special 

 purposes but there seems to be no reason for 

 condemning any of them. 



Satisfactory samples were obtained from the 

 following American concerns : Eimer and 

 Amend, Harmer Laboratories Company, Heller 

 and Merz Company, N. T. Color and Chemical 

 Company, Providence Chemical Company, 

 Darwin Chemical Company, Campbell and 

 Company, Geigy Chemical Laboratory, Cole- 

 man and Bell Company, H. S. Laboratories, 

 E. Leitz, National AnUine and Chemical Com- 

 pany Company and D. H. Pond. 



The chaii-man of the committee is i-eady upon 

 request to furnish investigators with informa- 

 tion as to the apparent merits of each of these 

 samples for particular purposes and as to how 



any particular one of these lots of eosin may 

 be obtained. 



Committee on Standardization of Biological 

 Stains, National Research Council, 



S. I. KORNHAUSER 



F. W. Malloey 



r. G. NovT 



L. W. Sharp 



H. J. Conn, Chairman 



ZOOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE 



In accordance with the provisions respecting 

 the use of "plenary power" by the Intei-na- 

 tional Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 

 to suspend the rules in cases in which the appli- 

 cation of the rules will produce more confusion 

 than uniformity, the secretary has the honor 

 herewith to notify the zoological profession 

 that a proposition by Commissioner David 

 Starr Jordan is now before the commission to 

 suspend the rules in the following cases and to 

 "definitely reject the works named below from 

 consideration under the law of priority," 

 namely : 



Gronoio, 1763, Museum Ichthyolagieum. 



Commerson (as footnotes in Laeepfede Hist. nat. 

 des Poissons, 1803 mostly). 



GeselUchaft Schauplatz, 1775 to 1781. An 

 anonymous dictionary accepting the pre-Linnaeau 

 genera of Klein. 



Cateshy, 1771, Natural History of Carolina, 

 Florida and the Bahamas (1731 to 1750), revised 

 reprint by Edwards, 1771. 



Browne, 1789, revised reprint of Civil and Nat- 

 ural History of Jamaica (1766). 



Valmont de Bomare, 1768-1775, Diet. Eaisionnee 

 XJniverselle d'Hist. nat. (several names acciden- 

 tally binomial). 



In connection with these works, attention is 

 invited to Opinions Nos. 13, 20, 21, 23, 24, 

 issued by the commission. 



The effect of the foregoing proposition is to 

 reject as unavailable (as of the dates in ques- 



1 Notice to zoologists (especially to ichthyolo- 

 gists) of Consideration of Suspension of Eules of 

 Nomenclature in cases of Gronow (1763), Com- 

 merson (MS. names — quoted in footnotes in 

 Laeepede, 1803 -mostly), GeseUachaft Schauplatz 

 (1775 to 1781), Catesby (1771 reprint by Ed. 

 wards), Browne (1789), and Valmont de Bomare 

 (1768 to 1775). 



