NOTE ON A BLACKISH-GREEN INSECT-WAX. 
219 
for 2s. per 16 fluid ounces. I at once said it could not be good, but was assured 
that it was so. I procured some of the tincture in question, and found its 
sp. g. to be ‘898 instead of *840 as I had previously found it to be when made 
according to the P. B. On separating the spirit I found it to be '895, or 26 
per cent, instead of 50, showing that this tincture was made with a spirit 16 
overproof instead of that required by the P. B. The money value of the 
spirit would be about 15s. 7 d. instead of 22s. 
The present duty on 60 O. P. is 16s. Od. 
„ „ 16 „ 11s. f J\d. 
Loss to Revenue .... 4s. 4f d. on 
every gallon of this tincture sold. This portion of the question we may, I 
presume, leave to the Excise; and we will rest content if our bringing this 
under notice result in ultimately establishing an approximate standard of 
specific gravity for all tinctures. I subjoin that of those I have myself kept 
note of. 
Tinctura Benzoin Co. . . . *898 Tinctura Lupuli.-930 
Tinct. Camph. Co. . . . -927 Tinct. Myrrhse.*845 
Tinct. Cardam. Co.'955 Tinct. Opii.-940 7 
average of three makings. ) 
Tinct. Catechu.'960 Tinct. Zingiber.'840 
While on this subject, may I be allowed to ask what should the sp. g. 
of Decoct. Sarsse Co. 1 to 7 ? I have two samples purporting to be of same 
strength ; one is 1T05, while the other is only 1'04! 
NOTE ON A BLACKISH-GREEN INSECT-WAX. 
BY R. REYNOLDS, F.C.S. 
Attention has been called to a variety of black wax by the paper lately pub¬ 
lished by Dr. Smith.* Unfortunately, no history of Dr. Smith’s specimen can 
be given, and it may fairly be doubted whether it is an animal or a vegetable 
product. In the instance which I now bring before the Conference there is 
sufficiently clear evidence of the source of the wax. I received the specimen 
directly from the discoverer, who tells me that he brought it from one of the 
group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, known as the Line Islands. The natives 
of these islands are a highly savage race, and but little intercourse with Euro¬ 
peans takes place. There are two specimens, the first being a mass weighing 
several ounces, just as taken from the stump of a tree. The insect producing 
the wax is said by my informant to be about the size of a small house-fly. There 
is little trace of structure to be detected, heat seeming to have destroyed this. 
The colour may be described as being a blackish-green ; the odour is well- 
marked, resembling anise in consistence : it is softer than English bees’-wax, and 
more tenacious. The second specimen was clarified before it was brought to 
this country, having been melted with water and strained; the removal of some 
sand has been the chief result. As the first specimen has only been in my 
hands for a week, I am unable to speak definitely as to its chemistry. However, 
a few experiments upon the proportion taken up by various solvents, as alcohol, 
ether, etc., suffice to show that it is quite distinct from the product of Apis 
mellifica. I hope to give the results of a chemical investigation to a future 
meeting of the Conference. 
Q 2 
* Pharm. Journ. July, 1868. 
