20 BULLETIN 800, TJ. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
tion was never rapid and was labored during the full period. The 
spasms were repeated with very great frequency between 6.57 p. m. 
and 7.17 p. m. A record of the number of the spasms was taken 
and it was found that 59 occurred during the period. At 7.20 p. m. 
there was a violent spasm. The animal straightened out its legs, 
the heart stopped beating, and gas bubbled up through the throat 
and mouth. 
In the autopsy upon this animal very little was noticed that was 
abnormal ; in fact, this autopsy should hardly be considered typical. 
In the summarized account of the autopsies on page 28 is given 
a statement in regard to the general appearances of the internal 
organs of the animal after death. 
CHEMICAL EXAMINATION. 
No analysis of Asclepias galioides appears to have been made be- 
fore this investigation and, although the present chemical examina- 
tion has not been completed, it appears to be desirable to record the 
definite results already obtained. 
The plant material used for the chemical work was taken from the 
same stock lots as that used in the feeding experiments and was 
consequently identical with it. Most of it was carefully dried and 
ground in a drug mill. One portion of green plant was, however, 
examined, but was found to contain nothing of a toxic nature which 
is not present also in the dried plant. 
No attempt was made to determine all the constituents of the 
plant by a routine phytochemical analysis, since for this investiga- 
tion, the substances responsible for range poisoning were alone 
important. On that account the chemical procedure was conducted 
primarily to yield knowledge of them. 
A portion of the dried plant was extracted with petroleum ether 
and the extract was found to contain a large quantity of caoutchouc 
with coumarin and fatty matters. Several portions were exhausted 
with alcohol, which removed all the toxic substances. This extract 
was partly soluble in water and both the solution and the residue 
were toxic. The aqueous solution contained a very small quantity 
of a nontoxic alkaloidal substance corresponding to less than 0.01 
per cent of the weight of the dry plant, two glucosids which may be 
separated from each other by their different solubility in chloro- 
form, and sugars which appear to consist of maltose and a sugar 
which yields dextrosazone. Both of the glucosids are toxic and 
produce narcosis. 
The water-insoluble portion of the alcohol extract contains fats, 
an orange-red coloring matter, a phytosterol, nontoxic resin acids, 
toxic glucosids which are probably identical with those found in 
