existing in the Nut-galls of the Oak: 403 
to the neck of the retort with a moistened bladder; and tied it, 
after having put a slender thermometer for security. The re- 
ceiver I kept always cool with wet cloths, and I stopped the 
distillation when about two ounces of the liquid had passed over, 
that is, as soon as the galls became apparently dry. 
The Italian galls (ga/li nostrali) are generally larger than 
those already described, almost entirely round, as the con- 
striction which forms the point of unicn with the stem or leaf is 
very short ; they are light, -not covered with tubercles or ex- 
erescences, more or less smooth, spongy internally, and of a yel- 
lowish colour, more or ‘less deep ; they yielded an odorous, sapo- 
tific, and whitish liquid*, without the drops of oil. Preserving 
this liquid in a bottle with a ground-glass stopper, after several 
hours some small white dakes were precipitated, which were 
heavier than the liquid itself, and on their surface were seen two 
small particles equally white. The liquid being then filtered 
through paper, I observed that the paper by a slight heat be- 
came in some parts oily and diaphanous, and that by a greater 
heat these same parts resumed their opacity, while an odorous 
vapour ascended ‘from them. 
The Istria galls, which did not perfectly resemble those with 
which I made the ‘first experiment, furnished an odorous, saporific, 
very opaque and white fluid with drops of oil on its surface. It 
is tobe observed, that some small drops ef oil also appeared in 
the neck of -the retort. This fiuid after-reposing threw down 
many heavy particles, and in two or three days became limpid. 
By filtration 1 separated about 11 gr. of concrete: volatile oil, 
partly in the state of drops, and partly in that of brilliant flakes, 
which had all, the above characters. 
“The dlack Istria galls are small, more or less wrinkled, na- 
turally blackish, somewhat compact internally, and similar to 
those which, according to Klaproth aud Wolff (Dictionary of 
Chemistry), come from Aleppo and Smyrna, The odorous and 
‘saporific fluid obtained by distillation from them was less white 
and opaque than the preceding ; it had on its surface a greater 
number of drops of oil, which appeared by the numerous oily 
particles on the neck of the retort, and on settling deposited a 
‘few white particles.’ These particles with the oil weighed 14 gr., 
and had all the properties of the concrete volatile oil already de- 
scribed, 
Lastly, the Aleppo and Smyrna galls are of various sizes and 
‘colours, as whitish, and inclining to yellow, red, green, and 
* This odour, which is owing to the. volatile oil, becomes more sensible if 
‘we make adecoction of the galls in the matrass. When the liquor has 
boiled a little, the odour diminishes in consequence of haying evaporated 
the greater part of this oil. 
Cc2 brown 3 
