AmAfe87h7arm'}       Notes  on  the  Joyote  of  Mexico.  147 
The  seeds  of  the  joyote  were  conveniently  divided,  and  by  pressing 
in  a  common  press,  yielded  40  per  cent,  of  oil  resembling  almond  oil ; 
its  density  at  20°C.  is  0*9100;  at  io°  it  becomes  turbid,  and  at  o°C. 
it  acquires  the  consistency  of  common  lard.  Concentrated  sulphuric 
acid  imparts  a  yellow,  changing  to  rose  color,  and  afterwards  into  deep 
orange-red  ;  it  is  a  non-drying  oil,  and  appears  to  be  composed  of  olein 
and  palmitin.  The  residual  powder  was  percolated  with  ether,  and 
the  liquid  evaporated  left  a  residue  of  about  the  same  quantity  as  the 
oil  previously  obtained.  Distilled  water  was  afterwards  used  to  extract 
albuminous  and  extractive  matters,  and  finally  the  exhausted  substance 
was  treated  with  85  per  cent,  alcohol.  The  filtered  liquid  was 
evaporated  expontaneously,  and  yielded  a  white  substance,  crystallizing 
in  four-sided  prisms.  These  crystals  were  inodorous,  but  excessively 
acrid,  insoluble  in  water,  and  very  little  soluble  in  ether,  bisulphide  of 
carbon,  fixed  and  volatile  oils ;  but  easily  soluble  in  alcohol  ;  not 
volatile,  and  not  combining  with  acids  or  bases.  When  treated  with 
dilute  sulphuric  acid,  they  decompose  into  glucose  and  a  resinoid  sub- 
stance \  the  principle  is,  therefore,  a  glucoside.  Its  solution  is  not 
affected  by  nitrate  of  silver,  the  chlorides  of  platinum,  gold  or  iron, 
iodide  and  iodate  of  potassium,  tannin,  potassa,  ammonia,  the  alkaline 
carbonates,  or  by  ferro-  and  ferrid  cyanide  of  potassium.  I  propose  to 
call  it  thevetosin,  although  thevetin  would  probably  be  a  more  appropriate 
name  for  this  principle. 
In  closing  this  paper,  I  must  thank  our  distinguished  toxicologist, 
Mr.  Hidalgo  Carpio,  for  his  interest  in  making  the  physiological  experi- 
ments detailed  below  ;  also,  Mr.  M.  G.  Reinoso  and  C.  Morales,  for 
the  flowers  and  fruits  provided  for  this  investigation. 
Luis  Hidalgo  Carpio' s  Experiments  with  the  Active  Princi- 
ple of  the  Thevetosa  Iccotli  (Codo  de  Fraile)  Seeds  On  the 
8th  of  June,  1871,  three  large  pigeons  received  sub-cutaneous  injec- 
tions of  a  small  quantity  of  thevetosin,  dissolved  in  a  little  alcohol. 
After  fifteen  minutes,  they  made  some  convulsive  motions,  opening 
their  bills  from  time  to  time  as  if  they  wanted  air  ;  afterwards  they 
passed  to  a  comatose  state,  followed  by  death.  To  another  pigeon  a 
sub-cutaneous  injection  was  applied,  with  rather  more  than  double  the 
quantity  of  alcohol  used  in  the  former  experiment,  but  without  the 
jovote  j  no  accident  after  more  than  half  an  hour. 
