444 CHEMICAL NOTES — GENERAL, 



quired for shell-making purposes. As a matter of fact it contains no lime, but 

 consists almost entirely of minute crystalline spheroids of a mixture of ammonium 

 urate and uric acid, constituting the urinary secretion of the fowl. The same 

 applies to the similar secretion of other birds and is particularly noticeable in 

 predatory species, such as hawks and eagles, and in marine birds. The white 

 splashes dropped by birds and commonly seen on the gi'ound, on fences, leaves, 

 etc., are the same. In many birds and most reptiles the undigested residues of 

 the food are regurgitated, the excrement consisting of white urinary secretion 

 mixed with small amounts of other substances. This is particularly noticeable in 

 the excreta of snakes, which have for many years been recognised as consisting 

 practically entirely of uric acid or ammonium urate. The pellets of fur, bones 

 and debris of insects so frequently noticed on stumps, fences, etc., in the country, 

 are ejected by birds of different sorts, notably the "laughing jackass," while the 

 similar ejectamenta of frogs and lizards are common in the haunts of these 



The kidneys of birds and reptiles consist of dark bi-own irregular lobulated 

 structures closely pressed into the space on either side of the vertebral column 

 at the rump. They can be easily examined in the common fowl. The uretei-s 

 enter the cloaca near the vent, the urinary secretion being a white pasty or semi- 

 liquid mass. As the secretion from the kidneys is continuous, the deposit ac- 

 cumulates in the cloaca until pushed out in front of the mass of ordinary excre- 

 ment in the case of the fowl, and forms the white cap so prominent on the excreta 

 of brooding fowls which only make occasional evacuations. 



The analj-sis of the urinary secretion of the fowl, below, was made on care- 

 fully selected material pure white in colour. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. A. S. le Souef, I was enabled to examine the 

 excreta of the ostrich and a number of reptiles living in the Zoological Gardens, 

 Sydney. In aU cases the sand is an accidental admixture derived from that 

 passing through the digestive tract. 



Urinary Secretions. (Calculated to dryness.) 



Commcn Fowl. q^j.^.^^^ Python 



1 2 variegata. 



Ammonium urate * .. 36.1 38.1 — 15.2 — — 



Uric acid 51.1 51.3 46.8 77.0 96. 5 18.4 



Other organic matter 2.5 1.1 9.4 17 ^ 9.7 



Ash 10.0 9.1 2.4 5.5 — 19.0 



Sand 0.3 0.4 41.4 0.6 — 529 



100.0 



Water in air dried material 7.8 8.0 68 90 — 9.2 



'Containing Ammonia 3-32 3.50 ~ 1.40 — — 



Total Uric acid . .. 83.9 85.9 46.8 90.8 96.5 18.4 



The secretion from Moloch horridus was in the form of beautiful glistening 

 white crystals ; only a very small sample was available. In three of the samples 

 the quantity available was insuflflcient for determination of ammonia. 



I am indebted to Mr. W. M, Doherty for kindly eonfli-ming the ammonia 

 determinations for me. 



V. Frtjit of Banana. 



I am only aware of two published analyses of the fruit of the banana or 

 plantain. In Fiji, November, 1885, I examined the husked ripe fruit, ripened on 

 the tree. 



