518 LIQUID PARTS OF ANIMALS. 



The cerumen thus deprived of its fat by ether gives a brown- 

 ish yellow colour to alcohol. When the alcohol is evaporated 

 it leaves a brownish-yellow extractive matter, which is soluble in 

 water. When the aqueous solution is evaporated to dryness, it 

 leaves the matter under the form of a deep-yellow, transparent, 

 brilliant varnish. It has no smell, but an extremely bitter taste. 

 When exposed to the air it softens and becomes viscid like tur- 

 pentine. When burnt it gives out an animal odour, and leaves 

 an ash composed of carbonate of potash and carbonate of lime. 

 Its solution in water is yellow, and is not precipitated by nitrate 

 of silver, showing that it contains no chloride. Oxalate of am- 

 monia throws down lime. Nitrate of lead precipitates the bitter 

 tasted substance, and discolours the liquid. It is also precipitated 

 completely by the protochloride of tin ; but not by corrosive 

 sublimate, and very imperfectly by the tincture of nut-galls. It 

 is obviously a peculiar animal principle, which ought to be distin- 

 guished by a peculiar name. The term otin might perhaps an- 

 swer the purpose. 



When the portion of cerumen insoluble in ether and alcohol 

 is digested in water, that liquid dissolves a small quantity of a 

 pale-yellow matter, which may be obtained by evaporating the 

 water. It has a sharp taste, and is neither precipitated by lime- 

 water nor by diacetate of lead, corrosive sublimate, nor infusion 

 of nut-galls. 



The residue of the cerumen insoluble in ether, alcohol, and 

 water constitutes a great proportion of it. When this residue 

 is digested in acetic acid, it swells up and becomes gela- 

 latinous ; but when we dilute the mixture with water, the acid, 

 even after several weeks' digestion, dissolves but a portion of the 

 whole. The solution is yellowish, and when evaporated to dry- 

 ness, leaves a mass insoluble in water, but soluble in dilute ace- 

 tic acid, from which it is precipitated by prussiate of potash, 

 showing that it contains albumen. The prussiate of potash does 

 not precipitate the whole. For the liquid is still precipitable by 

 the infusion of nut-galls. 



The portion of cerumen insoluble in acetic a,cid is much more 

 considerable than that which dissolves. Jt is a brownish, muci- 

 laginous, translucent mass, which falls rapidly to the bottom of 

 the liquid. When digested in caustic potash at the temperature 

 of about 100, very little of it dissolves. The solution is yellow- 



