86 The American Naturalist. [January, 
the shell so that it shelled like a cooked egg. The white had the 
appearance of gelatin, was firm, and whitish-gray. The yolk was 
very hard and breakable. 
Similar results to those with the unbroken eggs were obtainéd with 
uninjured eggs in formol vapor (a very few drops). 
cooked egg kept in formol vapor after 30 days appeared as fresh 
as though newly cooked, smelled of formol on the inside and had a 
sharp taste. 
A fresh, unbroken egg that had been for 75 days in a 1:5 solution of 
formol was placed for 15 minutes in boiling water. Both yolk and 
white had the same appearance as in an uncooked egg that had been for 
asimilar length of time in formol. In spite of the long cooking the 
white had not taken on that beautiful porcelain white appearance 
common to cooked eggs, and had not changed its firm gellatinous con- 
dition. Hence through the action of formol the white of an egg looses 
the property of coagulating by heat. If, as now assumed, egg- 
white bodies are those substances that are changed in chemical consti- 
tution by the action of formol, then the difference in the action upon 
the white and the yolk of the hen’s egg offers a most worthy test for 
the study of different albuminous substances. 
Experiments with plants were made in considerable number. In 
general the preservative action of formol upon the colors of flowers is 
less than the first experiments had led me to hope. Nevertheless, this- 
means of preservation is a step in advance. Many flowers placed in 
formol during the summer were usable as demonstration preparations 
during the following winter. A passion flower in a 1:20 solution after 
nearly ten months, is still a beautiful preparation. Further, many 
composites, viz., such as had a yellow color, like Helianthus argyro- 
phyllum, Calendula officinalis, etc., have been well preserved. Also 
a rhododendron flower (in 1:20), a rose (in 1:50), Akebia quinata (1:20), 
Cornus mas (1:20) and so on, have been changed in form and color but 
little. Fragant flowers and fruits turn the formol to an agreeably 
odiferous fluid. Chloropyll is not drawn out by the fluid, but the 
green color of tender leaves become pale with time. A Dieffenbachia 
with a bulb grown upon the spathe is almost faded, but forms never the 
less a fine preparation. Firm leaves like those of Rhododendron are. 
altered but little. Fruits are well preserved. Blue grapes, currants, 
medlars, several species of Crategus, Cephalotaxus, banana, different 
species of Solanum, Magnolia tripetala, strawberries, and Mangifera- 
indica, that have been in formol ever since the fall of 1893, are nicely 
preserved. Ina very few fruits the action of the preservative is injurious. 
