New Species of Animal Concretions. 199 



coagulum, but shortly becomes pulverulent ; when examined 

 by the microscope it is not crystallized, but consists of minute 

 transparent amorphous particles. It melts at 220° Fahren- 

 heit, and is evidently the amorphous state of the acid. 



When the potass solution is evaporated a transparent 

 gummy mass is left, which is insoluble in solution of potass, 

 but dissolves in pure water. When the potass solution is 

 concentrated by boiling, the compound of the resin and alkali 

 separates from the liquid and swims on its surface ; when cold 

 it forms a hard yellowish mass like resin, which dissolves in 

 aether, alcohol and water. When the ammoniacal solution of 

 this acid is evaporated, the resin separates unaltered. Nitric 

 acid decomposes this acid ; nitric oxide gas is evolved, and a 

 beautiful red solution formed, which quickly becomes yellow. 



Concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves the resino-bezoardic 

 acid : the resin is precipitated unaltered on the addition of 

 water in the amorphous state. 



3'777 grs. of the crystallized acid, which had been rendered 

 perfectly colourless by digestion with animal charcoal, when 

 dried at 180° Fahr. in a current of dry air and burnt with 

 chromate of lead, gave 3*64 water and 9*793 carbonic acid. 

 This result agrees with the analyses of Messrs. Ettling and 

 Will and Professor Wohler, who found — 



Ettling and Will. Wohler. T. Taylor. 



i ' 1 i * > 



Carbon . 71-19 70-80 70*83 71'09 70-71 



Hydrogen 10-85 10-78 10'60 10'71 



Oxygen . 17'96 18-42 18-57 18*58 



100-00 100*00* 100-OOf 100-00 



Messrs. Ettling and Will, who have analysed some of its 

 salts, regard the formula of the crystallized acid as C 42 H 74 7 

 -f HO, while Professor Wohler represents it as C 40 H 70 7 

 + HO. 



Resino-bezoardic concretions were first examined by Four- 

 croy and Vauquelin. Their account is very slight and im- 

 perfect, but is accompanied by a very accurate drawing of a 

 fragment of one of them. Fourcroy states, without mention- 

 ing his authority, that they are taken from some unknown 

 species of Asiatic or African animals, and believes them to be 

 formed from the resinous juices of the plants on which these 

 animals fed. 



In the College Catalogue I have described them as being 

 the true Occidental Bezoar. Subsequent consideration how- 



* Ann. der Chem. und JPharm., xxxix. 242. 



f Poggendorff's Ann. der Phys. und Chem., liv. 259. 



