ON VOLATILE ACIDS IN VIBURNUM OPULUS. 55 
called by naturalists the Silurus glanis, these were, first, 
that the Russian name of this fish was som, a term from 
which the word samovy or somovy might possibly be deri- 
ved. Secondly, that according to Martins, from this fish 
are obtained, leaf, book, and staple isinglass, the three forms 
in which samovy isinglass occurs in English commerce. 
Mr. Faber was kind enough to enquire, at my sugges- 
tion, of his Russian correspondents whether this opinion 
was well founded or otherwise, and I have recently receiv- 
ed the following communication from him on the subject : 
" I have ascertained,'* he says, "from some of my Russian 
friends, that what you supposed, is quite correct, viz., that 
the samovy isinglass comes from the Russian fish som. The 
Russians, having no article, make an adjective of som by 
adding ovy, and then pronounce it samovy, although they 
spell it somovy." Pharm. Jour, 
ART. XII.— EXAMINATION OF THE VOLATILE ACIDS IN 
VIBURNUM OPULUS. 
By L. von" Monro. 
Chevreul found in the berries of Viburnum Opulus 
phocenic acid, the identity of which with valerianic acid has 
been proved by Dumas. Kramer has submitted the bark 
of Viburnum Opulus to examination, and considers the 
volatile acid obtained from it, as well as its salts, not to be 
identical with valerianic acid from their external proper- 
ties. The author was induced to repeat this investigation. 
The bark of young trees of Viburnum was peeled off in 
spring, carefully comminuted, and submitted to distillation 
