J44' BIKDLIME. 



The rotjte of de Oi'gnnU ad Cu) thagium vadunt caincli in quatuor menfibus, 

 Cadiai'^^^'he ^ ^^^ Caravans going and returning to Cathai are represented, 

 country of Gog On the caftem border the countr)' of Gog and Magog is fet 

 the£n>r."'^'*^'''"' ^""^ ^^"^"^ '''^"* ddiciarum or paradife. 

 ladife. ^ 



IX. 



Jiialj/Jls of Birdlime. Bi/ M. BviLLOii Lagrange.* 



SECt. I. 



The Origin and Preparation of Birdlime. 



Various opinions JL HE fubftance known by the name and appellation of bird- 

 ®" ^'^^„."^'^"''° lime, has been clalfed among the immediate productions of ve- 



of birdhmej ' » • 



gelables. 



M, Fourcroy, M. Foui'jroy was the firfl perfon who confidered this mat- 

 ter to be glutinous : he has defcribed it as a fpecies in his 

 " Syfteme des Connoiffances Chimiques," Vol. VIII. p. 306. 



Birdlime, according to this chemifl^, may be made of the 

 berries of miflletoe, or of the tender bark of the holly, and 

 feveral other kinds of trees, macerated in water. Although 

 this fubrtance appears to have been hitherto not examined with 

 fufficient accuracy, many qualilies have been difcovered in it 

 analogous to thofe of gluten, 



Excepting a few chemical properties, mentioned in my 

 *' Manuel d^un 6ours de Chimie," third edition, I have never 

 found in any work the leaft elucidation of the nature of this 

 fingular fubftance. 



M. Chaptaf, M. Chaptal, in his " Elemens de CJmniey" fpeaks only of 



its preparation. As the method prefcribed by this chemift is 

 nothing different from that in the " Materia Medica" of 



Ceoffroy, GeolTroy, and in the " DiBionary" of Valmont de Bomare, 



^^1^;"'' "^^ ^°- 1 fhall quote the article itfelf. 



Ancient mode " The ancients made ufe of the berries of the miftletoe of 



h Kin'"Li*- "^^ *" '^^ preparation of birdlime. The berries being firft 



lounding^'tfi: toilcd in water, were pounded, and the hot water was then 

 T""!'^ poured off, in order to carry away the feeds and rhind. At 



prefent birdlime made of the bark of holly is preferred. The 

 middle bark is made choice of, as being the moft tender and 



* Annales da Chimie, Vol. LVI. 



green : 



• iiAIstoe . 



