> ...The "Hive and Honeybee" has a picture of one but it is impossible to tell
 > from it whether the Polaroid lens is just between the jar and the eye or
 > both between the jar and the eye *AND* the jar and the lightsource....
 > ...Looking at the bee-l logs I see that there was a discussion once on
 > directions for a homemade polariscope in the "ABC and XYZ of Beekeeping"...

There is a picture in the second last Hive and the Honeybee that shows what you
are thinking about.  The unit uses a light source, a polarised lens, a space for
the object being studied, then another lens.  Polarised lenses for photography
or lenses from polarised sunglasses can suffice for a jury-rigged 'scope.

A web ref is http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/polaris.htm
The page above a bout gemmology, but the principals are similar.

allen
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