New Species of Animal Concretions. 1 95 



liquid was quite transparent, and possessed the peculiar aro- 

 matic odour of the calculus, but no volatile oil could be de- 

 tected. The powder was separated from the rest of the water 

 by filtration, and dried at 200° Fahr. It was dissolved in 

 twelve ounces of boiling alcohol. The solution was of a 

 bright red colour when viewed by transmitted light, and had 

 a greenish tinge by reflected light; with the exception of a 

 small quantity of flocculent matter it was quite transparent. 



In order to separate the insoluble matter, the liquid while 

 still hot was filtered, and the matter on the filter washed with a 

 fresh portion of alcohol and dried. This matter was of a dirty 

 brown colour, with a shade of green. It was when quite dry 

 rather soft, so as to admit of being moulded between the fin- 

 gers. When heated on platina foil it did not fuse, but soft- 

 ened, caught fire, and burnt briskly, emitting at the same time 

 the odour of heated Indian rubber. It was insoluble in water, 

 either hot or cold. v 



That this substance was not caoutchouc, was shown by its 

 not being dissolved or softened when acted upon by absolute 

 aether or oil of turpentine. A solution of caustic potass ex- 

 tracted some of its colour, but did not appear to dissolve it. 

 The exact nature of this matter I am unable to decide ; its 

 vegetable nature is rendered probable by the total want of any 

 animal odour while burning. It amounted to about two per 

 cent. 



The filtered alcoholic solution became slightly turbid on 

 cooling; after standing a short time small crystals were de- 

 posited, and a crystalline crust formed upon its surface. Some 

 of the crystals when examined by the microscope had the form 

 of very regular six-sided plates, and others that of six-sided 

 prisms. When a drop of the liquid was allowed to evaporate 

 on a glass plate, and the residue examined by the microscope, 

 crystals were formed, whose figure was not very distinct, but 

 appeared to be that of a six-sided prism lying on its side; 

 occasionally a six-sided plate was also visible. 



The liquid was put into a retort, and about two-thirds of 

 its bulk distilled over. It was transparent while hot, but on 

 cooling deposited an abundant crop of small crystals. These 

 crystals had the form of three-sided plates ; when carefully 

 fused upon a slip of glass, they were converted into six-sided 

 plates. 



The crystals obtained at different times were purified by 

 being repeatedly crystallized from their alcoholic solution, 

 which removed nearly the whole of their colouring matter. 

 They possessed all the characters of the lithofellinic acid of 

 Professor Goebel, and constituted the bulk of the calculus. 



P2 



