Buller . — The Enzymes of Polyp or us squamosus , Huds . 55 
porcelain dish a. In a control experiment, made similarly, 1 c.c. of water 
was used instead of the carrot-juice. 
After five hours the contents of the dish a had clotted into a single 
lump whereas the control remained unchanged. The experiments indicate 
that the solution prepared from the currants does contain pectin which can 
be clotted by pectase. 
Experiments were then made with the extract of Polyporus squamosus. 
Of the pectin solution 25 c.c. were neutralized with normal potassium 
hydroxide solution and a few drops of a calcium chloride solution added. 
To 5 c.c. of the resulting solution 1 c.c. of the fresh Polyporus extract was 
added in a porcelain dish. A control was made in a similar manner, the 
Polyporus extract, however, being first boiled. 
The result was negative. During the course of several days no clotting 
whatever occurred. 
It was then thought that a pectase might possibly be present in the 
fresh Fungus in such a manner as not to be easily extracted, whereas it 
might be obtained from fruit-bodies which had undergone desiccation. 
Slices of the fresh Fungus were therefore dried over sulphuric acid in vacuo . 
The dry chips were then pounded up with water and an extract obtained. 
Experiments similar to those described with the extract from the undried 
Polypoims were then made. 
The results were again entirely negative. No clotting occurred. In 
a control experiment made at the same time, in which carrot-juice was used 
instead of the Polyporus extract, clotting began in the course of two hours 
and was completed in 3*5 hours. 
The above experiments leave little doubt that the fruit-bodies of 
Polyporus squamosus do not contain a pectase enzyme. 
(9) Invertase. To 50 c.c. of a 5 per cent, solution of cane-sugar 5 c.c. of 
the Fungus extract were added in a test-tube a. A drop of toluol was used 
as an antiseptic. A control was made in a similar manner in a test-tube b, 
the extract, however, being first boiled. Both tubes were placed at a 
temperature of 29 0 C. 
After twenty-four hours 5 c.c. from each tube were boiled with 5 c.c. 
freshly made Fehling’s solution. In each case there was a very slight 
reduction of copper sulphate. 
After forty-eight hours the same test was again tried and a similar result 
obtained. There was only a very slight precipitate in each case, thus 
indicating that the extract had not brought about any inversion of the 
cane-sugar. 
Similar experiments were made with an extract from carefully dried 
chips of the fruit-bodies. The results, however, were again negative. 
The above experiments leave little doubt that the fruit-bodies do not 
contain invertase. Here, again, the conditions are similar to those in Poly- 
