Clifton College Scientific Society. 37 



sequently furaislied, incontestably prove the normal presence, 

 in some of the feathers of the Plantain-eater, of a red pig- 

 ment soluble in water, and still more readily dissolved bj 

 soap. I may now give my own results as to the preparation, 

 and physical and chemical properties of this new red animal 

 pigment. 



' Occurrence of Turacin. — The bii'ds from which I have 

 extracted this coloui'ing matter generally go under the desig- 

 nation of Plantain-eaters, from their favourite food. It 

 would appear that the native name for them is i-epresented 

 by the word Touraco ; while the Dutch speak of one of the 

 species as the Cape Lovsry. These birds are entirely African. 

 They belong to the order Scansores, and the family Muso- 

 phagidse ; they are closely related to the Cuculidse or 

 Cuckoos. There are three genera of Touracos, Musopliacja, 

 Corythaix, and Schizorhis, altogether including eighteen 

 species. The red pigment occurs in twelve only of these 

 birds ; namely, in both the known species of 3Iiisophaga, and 

 in ten out of the eleven species of Corythaix. The eleventh 

 species of Corythaix, in which it does not occur, is the Giant 

 Touracou, which diverges in many other particulars from its 

 brethren. The following is a list of the species, from which 

 I have actually obtained the pigment ; in the others, named 

 above, I have merely recognised its presence by optical 

 means: — 



Musophaga violacea. 

 Corythaix [Turacus) porphyreolopha. 

 „ „ erythrolopha. 



„ „ albocristata. 



' The plumage of these birds does not present any gi'eat 

 general brilliancy. The red pigment occurs in the primary 

 and secondary pinion feathers, from twelve to fifteen of which 

 have either a crimson blotch upon them, or are almost 

 wholly coloured. I propose the name Turacin for the red 

 pigment, which the Tui-acou {Turacus) contains. In order 

 to extract this pigment, the plan finally adopted was as 

 follows : — 



' Isolation of Turacin. — The barbs, constituting the red 

 part of the web, are stripped from the shaft of the feathers, 

 placed in a beaker, and washed with ether and then vpith 

 alcohol. This treatment removes the grease and adhering 

 dirt very efiectually. When the red barbs thus washed have 

 been dried between folds of filter paper, they are placed in a 

 cold, veiy dilute solution of pure caustic soda, a solution 

 containing one part of soda in a thousand of distiUed water 



