HORN EXPEDITION — liOTAW. AI'l'lONDlX. 197 



with gelatine and acetate of lead. With boiling water the stdutioii is fairly clear, 

 but becomes turbid on cooling, from the presence of a body insoluble in cold water. 

 Tiic material was too small in quantity to enalde this body to be satisfactorily 

 deterndned. The residue left after treatment with water was par-tly soluble in 

 alcohol and consists of phlobaphenes insolulde in water but soluljle in alcohol. 

 In alcohol the c()lour of the solution is iiincli daiker from solution of the 

 phlobaphenes. AVhen this alcoholic solutitm is evaporated to dryness it has but 

 the sliglitest soluljility in water, but is readily soluble in dilute ammonia frtim 

 which solution the plilobaplienes ai'e precijiitated on addition of acetic acid. It is 

 one of those astringent exudations so common in Australia, usually designated 

 "inspissated sap." A sufficient (juantity of pure material is dithcult to ubtain, 

 and an exhaustive examination of it remains a desideratum. 



No. 4. IJoots of Lesciieitaii/fiii divaricata, F. \. AI., Central Australia, "(ium 

 extracted therefrom used by the ab(jrigines as a cement." S^SclcvoIh depaiipcrata -awA 

 Spinifex paradoxus are similar.] These roots consists of two parts — an inner %ery 

 tough woody poi'tion consisting almost entirely f)f cellulose, and an out^r tube which 

 readily slips oil' the inner stringdike portion. 'I'his outer tube is covei'ed e.Kternally 

 with tine sand, cemented into the material forming the basis of this outer covering. 

 Tiie diameter over all is from 8 to 3 mm., the inner portion being 1 nun. When 

 treated with alcohol \irtually nothing dissolves, the particles of sand not being 

 looseiu'd in the least. When treated with water, but a very minute portion of a 

 gummy material dissolves ; this is precipitated by alcohol, is brittle wlien dry, and 

 readily soluble in water. No ordinary solvents dissolve the coating holding the 

 sand particles, these I'oots consisting almost entirely of cellulose and allied 

 substances, and it is not clear to me how, as stated, the aborigines extract a 

 matei'ial from the roots for cementing purposes. Further information upon this 

 point is certainly required. 



No. 5. Flaky fibrous bark of lied Mulga., Acacia cyperop/iyl/a^ F. v. INI., 

 collected 'Jth May, 1804. .Shrubby tree to thirty fiujt high, the re<l bark peeling 

 off in thin shavings. This specimen consists of very thin, llaky, tilaous portions 

 of the bark, and is very slightly astringent. The portion sul)ndtted e\idently 

 consists of the external portion of the bark, and is sinular in character to that 

 often found in dry country Acacia Ijarks. The bark is not likely to be of 

 commei'cial value, and the portion received does not appear to be of special 

 scientiOc interest. It consists ahnost entirely of cellulose. 



I desire to record my obligations to Mr. II. (1. Sndtli, my a.ssistant, for help 

 in the prep.iration of these notes. 



