BiRDLIME. 14'5.i 



green : this Is placed in a pit to rot, after which it is pounded at prefentit'Js 

 in mortars until it becomes a pafte, and is then wafhed and birk rotted^/ 

 cleanfed with water. This fubftance has been conlidered as pounded. 

 difcuffive and emollient, when applied outwardly." 



It is already known that the miftletoe of oak is employed in Miftletoe of oik 

 feveral pharmaceutical preparations ; as, the univerfal water, )^^ "^ ^^^' 

 the antifpafmodic powder, Guttet's powder, &c. 



In England, according to Geoffroy, birdlime is made of the EngUfh mode of 

 bark of" holly. He fays, the bark is boiled in water (even or y^^^ . " 

 eight hours, lill it becomes foft and tender. This is laid in Bark of holly Is 

 malTes in the earth, and covered with fiones, placing one °'^,' f°"^^ 



. ° . pounded, walh- 



Jayer over another — the water having been previoufly drained ed, and kneaded. 

 from the bark. In this flate it is left to ferment and rot, du- 

 ring a fortnight or three weeks, in which time it changes to a 

 kind- of mucilage. It is then taken from the pit, pounded in 

 mortars till reduced to a pafte, waflied in river water, and 

 kneaded till freed from all extraneous matters. The pafte is 

 left in earthen veflTels during four or five days, to ferment and 

 purify itfelf. It is afterwards put into proper veflels, and thus 

 becomes an article of commerce. 



This mode of preparation is not univerfally followed, as 

 every county has its peculiar way : there are even thofe who 

 make a fecret of the procefs. 



At Nogenf-le-Rotrou birdlime is manufaclured by cutting Method purfuei 

 in fmall pieces the fecond bark of the holly, fermenting them ^ Nogent-le- 

 in a cool place during a fortnight, and then boiling Ihem in firft rotting and 

 water, which is afterwards evaporated. ^^^" boihug : 



At Commerci and its environs birdlime is obtained from At Commerci. 



feveral (lirubs, as the holly, the wild vine (viburnum lantana, 



Lin.) and the miftletoe of every fpecies. 



; The beft is that made from the prickly holly, which is green- Beft fort from 



ifti: that obtained from the viburnum lantana is of a yellowifli t^e pnckly 



holly. 

 tint. In ufing this latter, the epidermus is rejefted, and only 



the fecond bark employed. 



- The birdlime which I ufed in my experiments was made . 

 from the fecond bark of holly ; and on comparing it carefully 

 with fome which had been fent me from Commerci, I found 

 there was no apparent difference between them. I thought 

 this precaution elTential to obtaining greater precifion in my 

 analyfis. It is well known that the birdlime of commerce is 

 never in a pure ftate ; it is frequently a compofition of vege- 

 table 



