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supplier in Algeria from his contract, and a parcel of Reunion oil which 

 was offered to us had to be declined on account of its abnormal charac- 

 teristics. For this reason a quantity of basil oil from Java, which we 

 received recently, is particularly welcome, especially because as regards 

 excellence of odour it satisfies the most exacting requirements. Owing 

 to the high prices, many perfumers have been compelled to use this oil 

 more sparingly than formerly, but we scarcely think that the value will 

 again recede to the previous level, as it is generally asserted that it is 

 only at the prices at present ruling that the distillation can still yield a 

 moderate profit. 



Bay Oil. This oil continues to be exceedingly neglected, and there 

 has been no change in the position described in our previous Report. 

 In the West India Islands, the native country of the bay leaves, ex- 

 ceedingly little interest is now shown in the production, and it is very 

 difficult to procure material suitable for distillation. But in spite of all 

 this the demand for our terpeneless bay oil continues to be compara- 

 tively brisk. 



Bay berry Oil, Mauritius. The Imperial Institute in London sent 

 us a sample of the aforesaid fruits which on distillation yielded 3,3°/o 

 of a light-brown oil, which in its odour and other properties resembled 

 very nearly the West-India Bay Oil from leaves. di 5 o 0,9893; « D — 1°20'; 

 "d2oo 1,51902; eugenol-content 70%; soluble in 0,8 vol. and more of 80°/o 

 alcohol. 



Several years ago we prepared and described an oil from bay berries 

 grown in the Bermudas 1 ). The distillate obtained by us at the time dif- 

 fered perceptibly in its odour from oil of bay leaves, and also deviated 

 from the latter in the composition of the non-phenols. 



Birch bud Oil. This oil has gradually become well introduced in 

 the perfumery industry. It is mainly used as an ingredient in the so-called 

 birch hair -washes, and has a pleasant and balsamic odour. The raw 

 material comes from Russia, but has lately been so difficult to procure 

 that it has been necessary to raise our price of the oil. 



Birch tar Oil. According to C. T. Bennett 2 ), birch tar oil has lately 

 been recommended in the English daily papers as a prophylactic against 

 insect-bites. A few drops of the oil, diluted with an equal volume of 

 olive oil, and rubbed by hand upon the exposed parts of the body, are 

 said to keep off insects. Bennett seizes the occasion to give a short 

 description of birch tar oil, which mainly deals with familiar facts, and 

 the same may be said of an article on the subject by Holmes 3 ), published 

 at the same time. 



1 ) Report April 1905, 85. I "'- 



2 ) Pharmaceutical journal 85 (1910), 4." ]* 

 ;{ ) Ibidem 5. 



