AmMa0rch,T8h97!:m'}    Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  159 
tion  of  the  two  alkaloids  when  mixed,  and  to  establish  this  he  made 
a  mixture  of  1-044  grammes  codeine  and  0-710  grammes  of  mor- 
phine; he  exhausted  this  with  20  c.c.  of  anisol  at  150,  and  washed 
the  residue  with  10  c.c.  more  of  the  solvent  poured  on  the  filter; 
after  drying  he  found  the  residual  morphine  to  weigh  0-702  grammes, 
corresponding  to  a  loss  of  a  little  over  1  per  cent.  From  these  re- 
sults he  concluded  that  anisol  is  applicable  in  many  ways  as  a 
laboratory  solvent  in  toxicological  investigations. 
NATIVE  FOOD  PLANTS  OF  THE  COEUR  D'ALENE  INDIANS. 
The  following  is  taken  from  a  "Report  on  a  Botanical  Survey 
of  the  Coeur  d'Alene  Mountains  in  Idaho,"  by  John  B.  Leiberg. 
Contributions  from  the  "  U.  S.  National  Herbarium'  Vol.  5,  No.  I. 
The  native  food  plants  are  few.  The  paucity  of  plants  suitable 
for  human  food  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  circumstances  in 
a  region  which  supports  such  vast  quantities  of  vegetation  as 
does  this  in  its  forest  covering.  Probably,  for  this  reason  mainly, 
it  contained  only  a  small  aboriginal  population,  and  the  only 
localities  in  which  there  appear  to  have  been  permanent  settle- 
ments of  the  Indians  were  in  the  slack-water  portion  of  the  Coeur 
d'Alene — possibly  some  existed  in  the  lower  valley  of  the  St. 
Joseph.  The  rest  of  the  country  was  visited  by  them  only  in 
their  migratory  summer  and  fall  excursions  in  pursuit  of  game 
and  fish,  with  which  the  St.  Mary  and  St.  Joseph  Valleys  for- 
merly abounded. 
The  most  valuable  food  plant  in  the  dietary  of  the  Coeur  d'Alene 
Indians  was  undoubtedly  the  camass  (Camassia  esculenta),  a  plant 
belonging  to  the  lily  family,  therefore  related  to  the  onion,  but  lack- 
ing all  trace  of  alliaceous  flavor  and  smell.  The  esculent  part  of 
the  plant  is  the  bulb,  which,  in  the  fresh  state,  is  of  an  oblong 
shape,  seldom  more  than  2  5  cm.  (1  inch)  in  diameter  and  4  cm. 
(ij^  inches)  long.  It  is  mucilaginous,  and  possesses  very  little,  if 
any,  flavor.  The  flowers  are  bright  or  deep  blue,  and  a  camass 
meadow  in  full  bloom,  seen  from  an  elevation,  gives  the  impression 
that  one  is  looking  at  a  body  of  very  clear  water  reflecting  a  cloud- 
less sky.  The  lower  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  St.  Joseph,  and,  in 
particular,  that  of  the  St.  Mary  and  its  tributaries,  were,  before  the 
advent  of  settlements,  among  the  classic  camass  grounds  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alenes.    Here  the  tribe  came  in  large  numbers  each  sum- 
