334 Action of Poisons on Flowers . [June, 
by their surroundings, the grosser animal specimens, the 
more passionate and sensual, have succumbed, while only 
those of a higher moral type have been able to survive ; but 
even their survival has been limited by the absence of those 
motives to physical and mental effort which have fed the 
energies of their more favourably situated fellow-country- 
men. 
The working politicians among our aristocracy, and the 
very exceptional few who have distinguished themselves by 
earnest scientific or literary labour, are of course exceptions 
to the above. These have reverted to the natural conditions 
of vigorous human development, conditions enforced upon 
the mass of mankind by the fadt that our food does not grow 
ready cooked at our feet, nor our clothing on our backs. 
Modern Royal families, in constitutional countries like 
ours, have such heavy social duties, and responsibilities and 
restraints forced upon them, that they may be fairly included 
among the “ working classes/’ 
V. THE ACTION OF POISONS ON THE PETALS 
OF FLOWERS. 
By A. Anthony Nesbit, F.C.S. 
Continued from. Vol. IV., p. 743. 
Alcohols employed : E thy lie , Propylic, A Hylic , and Amylic . 
t LL these extracted the chlorophyll from the stems of 
the plants, but in varying quantity. Propyl, allyl, 
and ethyl alcohols extradt a large quantity, and 
amylic very little. Propyl, allyl, and amyl al cohols are far 
more destrudtive to the life of the flower than ethyl alcohol. 
The flowers in these alcohols would show signs of fading 
in an hour and a half, whilst those in ethyl alcohol would 
remain quite healthy six or eight hours. 
When ethyl alcohol was diluted its adtion on the flowers 
became less. If diluted from one to three, or from one to 
five, the flowers after twenty-four hours’ immersion would 
