66  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals.  {AMFebUi,'iPsH.RiC* 
quantity  of  pine  pollen  in  the  place  of  lycopodium.  Having  had  his 
suspicions  aroused  by  the  yellower  color,  and  smaller  degree  of  mo- 
bility and  fineness,  he  examined  it  under  the  microscope,  and  recog- 
nized in  it  the  characters  given  as  those  of  pollen  of  conifers,  and 
especially  of  pine  pollen,  this  latter  being  always  constituted  by  two 
lateral  cells  near  to  a  central  cell,  which  is  ruptured  by  the  pollenic 
contents  for  fecundation.  How  this  pollen  is  collected  is  matter  for 
conjecture,  but  it  may  be  obtained  at  a  lower  price  than  lycopodium, 
and  M.  Cazeneuve  thinks  it  to  be  a  substance  worthy  of  further  in- 
vestigation. He  has  found  that  in  the  rolling  of  pills  and  plasters 
and  the  healing  of  chaps,  etc.,  it  presents  the  same  advantages  as 
lycopodium.  It  is  nearly  neutral ;  the  tegumentary  membrane  has 
the  cellulose  nature  of  other  pollens  ;  it  contains  a  little  resinous 
matter,  and  the  pine  odor  is  faintly  perceptible  in  a  large  quantity. 
The  proportion  of  mineral  matter  is  very  small.  One  gram  of  pollen, 
dried  in  a  water-bath,  gave,  when  incinerated,  45  milligrams  of  white 
ash,  composed  of  phosphates  of  potash  and  lime,  and  traces  of  sul- 
phates and  chlorides. — Pharm.  Journ.  and  Trans.,  Bee.  20,  1873. 
Action  of  Lead  upon  Water. — M.  Dumas  describes  a  former  ex- 
periment in  which  five  bottles  containing  leaden  shot  were  partially 
filled  with  the  following  waters  respectively :  Distilled  water,  rain 
water,  Seine  water,  Ourcq  water  and  well  water.  It  was  found  that 
the  one  containing  distilled  water  showed  in  a  very  short  time  traces 
of  lead  in  solution,  whilst  the  waters  charged  more  or  less  with  cal- 
careous salts  contained  none.  The  rapidity  with  which  pure  water 
acts  upon  lead  is  surprising,  and  the  effect  produced  by  traces  of  lime 
in  preventing  this  reaction  is  not  less  so.  It  is  impossible  not  to 
be  reminded  of  Schlcesing's  observations  upon  clay,  which,  in  pure 
water,  remains  indefinitely  suspended,  but  which  is  precipitated  by 
the  slightest  trace  of  lime  salts.  The  author  thinks  that  pure  water 
is  an  agent  not  yet  perfectly  known,  and  that  its  properties  differ 
from  those  of  common  water  more  than  is  suspected.  In  the  conver- 
sation which  followed,  M.  Elie  de  Beaumont  remarked  that  Schlce- 
sing's observations  explained  fully  the  clear  and  sparkling  character 
of  calcareous  waters.— -Chem.  News,  Dec.  19,  1873,  from  Comp.  rend. 
Heb.  des  Seances  de  V Acad,  des  Sci.,  Nov.  10,  1873. 
