This communication describes a simple method for recording fluorescence emission spectra of cytological preparations using a conventional fluorescence spectrophotometer. The emission characteristics of "in situ" complexes between some basic fluorochromes (DAPI, 33258 Hoechst, acridine orange, pyronin Y, and ethidium bromide) and nucleic acid containing structures from smears of chicken blood and Ehrlich tumor cells (chromatin, basophilic cytoplasm) are briefly described.