QUARTERLY CHRONICLE. 103 



thougli examined when in solution in ether as well as in the 

 feather. Professor Church's discovery of Turacin is there- 

 fore very interesting, as this colouring matter gives in the 

 feather two absorption bands quite close to those of scarlet 

 cruorine, but sufficiently distinct to be readily recognised. 

 Turacin is readily soluble in ammoniacal water, and gives a 

 solution the absorption bands of which differ greatly from 

 those of the feather, being much " higher." Acids precipitate 

 the Turacin again in its original form. Professor Church 

 has made careful chemical analyses of Turacin, and finds it 

 to contain copper. Many amphibia and fishes are coloured 

 by copper. Professor Church considers that this new body 

 has some relation to cruorine, but in all its reactions and in 

 its spectroscopic characters it is most obvious that the two 

 bodies are very distinct. They only happen (as alkanet root 

 does too) to give two absorption bands in neai'ly the same 

 part of the spectrum. 



Green Wood. — The spores of Peziza eruginosa multiply in 

 rotton wood in such abundance as to give it a bright blueish, 

 green aspect. Such wood is used by the turners of Tunbridge 

 Wells in their ornamental work. A gi*eat stir has recently 

 been made with regard to similar wood found in the forest of 

 Fontainbleau. Two French chemists have examined it, and 

 one terms the green colouring matter Xylochloric acid, 

 whilst the other gives it an equally euphonious title Xylindein. 

 The colouring matter should be examined with the spectro- 

 scope in order to ascertain if any absorption bauds are pre- 

 sent, and if possible, what relation this colouring matter has 

 to those descrilicd by Dr. Ferdinand Cohn. 



