352 Keegan: The Chemistry of the Lakeland Trees. 
favourite of the Sriagerss and with the Fir has been chosen 
_ to screen their dwellings.’ In fact, the ‘massy Sycamore that 
spreads in gentle pomp its honied shade’ has claims upon the 
attention of the scientist no less than upon that of the poet; 
an may add that it is a special favourite of my own, my 
whee studies in plant analysis being devoted chiefly to this 
r s often self-sown, and the seed has about 30 per cent. 
oil ae 6 per cent. albumenoid, oa no starch; these facts, 
however, do not indicate that it is a fat-tree, they nly suggest 
locally deficient. The yellow flowers contain no carotin, but 
have abundant rutin and saccharine matter. The bark contains 
a considerable amount of waxy and fatty matter, and it is» 
encrusted with silica; the phelloderm, collenchyma, and the 
ast erate ee are rich in tannin, which is identical with 
the Horse-chestnut, and is conjoined with its phloba- 
anny and a small quantity of free phloroglucin; but the 
most remarkable constituent is a kind of saponin-glucoside 
which occurs about September apparently in some quantity, it 
dissolves in sulphuric acid with a dark red colour passing to 
violet red, with ultimately a deep blue granular deposit ; with 
alcoholic HCl it yields a bright permanent pink solution; and 
with a solution of bromine in chloroform a bright red colour in 
a few minutes. The wood contains much coniferin and starch. 
The leaves are enriched with an abundance of carotin, wax,‘ fat, 
and resin, and in the autumn the epidermis is encrusted with 
silica; in May a large quantity of quercitrin can be extracted 
from them, together with tannin and rye tll mannite, — 
cane-sugar, and about 4 per cent. starch are also to be found 
among the constituents- : one of the most remarkable foliar 
organs of our woodlan 
inden. Tilia intermedia: No chemical account of the trees 
of sey British region would be complete if this one were passed 
over. It is frequently to be seen in the Lakeland parks and hedge- 
rows, and although certainly not a native, it suits itself very con- 
formably to the circumstances of itsimmigration. It is mentioned 
here only incidentally as a sort of foil or contrast chiefly in regard 
to the fact that, except the Walnut, it is the most fat-producing 
tree in our sylva. For about nine months of the year its wood 
teems with -oil, and during winter there is no starch at all in the 
wood, pith, or bark. The quantity of mucilage in bark and leaves 
is exceedingly great; while the combination of volatile oil, sugar, 
rion and carotin in the flowers constitutes a feast-of delight 
mie dito Rae to account for the phenomenon of— 
e Lime, a summer home of murmurous wings.’ 
ad 
. 
"Naturalist, 
