Milk of the Cow-Tree. 243 



sulphuric acid, and water, is quite different from the action of 

 these bodies on bees-wax. 



The transparent liquid matter which remains when the cold 

 alcoholic solution from the cow-tree milk is distilled off in a re- 

 tort, possesses very nearly all the characters of gallactin, if we 

 except the liquid form under which it appears. It is equally 

 fixed, and equally combustible. It is destitute of taste and smell, 

 stains paper like an oil, does not combine with potash, but dis- 

 solves in nitric and sulphuric acids with the same phenomena as 

 gallactin. It is lighter than water, but from its extremely adhe- 

 sive nature, I could not determine its specific gravity exactly. 

 Perhaps, therefore, it may be only another modification of gallac- 

 tin. The two most striking circumstances in which it differs 

 from gallactin, are its solubility in cold alcohol, and its liquidity. 

 It remains to be seen whether, by long enough exposure to the 

 open air, it will assume the appearance of gallactin. As far as I 

 can judge hitherto, it never loses its transparency, but dries into 

 a kind of varnish like the drying oils. 



BOUSSINGAULT and MARIANO DE RIVERO mention sugar as 

 one of the ingredients of the cow-tree milk. The boiling alco- 

 hol, after being freed from the gallactin, both solid and liquid, 

 was found to hold a small quantity of matter in solution. It 

 would not crystallize, neither was it separated by the addition of 

 water. When the liquid was distilled off at a low heat, a white 

 flocky matter remained, having a slightly sweetish taste, and so- 

 luble both in water and alcohol. This is probably the substance 

 which these chemists have called sugar. If the property of crys- 

 tallizing and of sweetening water be considered as belonging to 

 sugar, this substance cannot claim the name. It is probably ana- 

 logous to sarcocol in its nature. 



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VOL. XI. PART II. t 1 



