ASoSSb^iS5T-}        Leaves  of  Drosera  Filiformis.  67$ 
PERCENTAGE  OF  ALKALOIDS  IN  FLUID  EXTRACT  OF  COCA  LEAVES. 
T^Tur1  A  TOT?  c 
TTcitio*  AIpoVioI 
Excluding  Alcohol. 
0-328 
0-323 
0-290 
0*298 
0-315 
0-321 
These  results  confirm  the  writer's  observations. 
A  word  about  absolute  alcohol  may  not  be  out  of  place.  Caspari 
says :  "  The  fact  that  absolute  alcohol  appears  alkaline  towards  all 
of  the  above  indicators  is  remarkable."  The  absolute  alcohol  pre- 
pared by  the  writer  did  not  possess  this  remarkable  alkaline  reac- 
tion. The  alkalinity  was  undoubtedly  due  to  some  impurity  in  the 
alcohol. 
The  above  observations  again  emphasize  the  necessity  of  carefully 
investigating  the  purity  of  all  the  substance  entering  into  an  inves- 
tigation before  reliable  conclusions  can  be  drawn  from  the  results 
obtained. 
From  the  above  observations  it  is  safe  to  conclude  that  pure  alco- 
hol does  not  vitiate  the  accuracy  of  volumetric  determinations,  ex- 
cept in  the  cases  of  methyl  orange  and  tropaeolin  00.  Iodo-eosin 
and  fluorescein  also  appear  to  be  affected,  but  their  end-reactions  are 
so  gradual  and  indistinct  that  no  importance  can  be  attached  to  the 
variations  of  these  indicators.  Alkaloids  and  alkaloidal  residues  can, 
therefore,  be  determined  with  as  high  a  degree  of  accuracy  in  alco- 
holic solutions  as  in  aqueous  solutions.  Commercial  alcohol,  on  the 
contrary,  does  influence  delicate  volumetric  determinations,  and  it 
behooves  the  analyst  to  exclude  this  product  from  all  such  de- 
terminations as  rigidly  as  he  excludes  hydrant  water,  if  reliable 
results  are  desired. 
305  Cherry  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
*THE  LEAVES  OF  DROSERA  FILIFORMIS,  RAF. 
By  George  M.  Beringer. 
During  a  September  visit  to  the  pine  barrens  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Egg  Harbor  City,  N.  J.,  in  company  with  Mr.  Benjamin  Heri- 
tage, our  attention  was  attracted  by  the  condition  of  Drosera  fili- 
formis, Raf.,  at  this  season  of  the  year.  At  the  base  of  each  plant 
was  found  a  small  globular  bud,  covered  with  a  mass  of  pale  brown 
