Am-/a°nu:i8P9Larm-}  Natal  Aloes.  33 
removed  from  solution  by  neutral  plumbic  acetate.  Crystals  of  a 
body  which  might  be  referred  to  loganin  separated  from  the  hot 
chloroform-alcohol  extract,  bufl  could  not  obtain  much  more  than 
a  trace  of  this  body  from  the  alcoholic  extract  after  the  removal  of 
other  substances  by  ether.  The  dried  leaves  afforded  n-86  per 
cent,  of  ash. 
From  these  experiments  it  is  evident  that  the  alkaloid  of  nux- 
vomica  leaves  is  brucine,  and  that  no  strychnine  could  be  separated. 
The  bark  of  nux-vomica  has  been  analyzed  by  Shenstone,  Dragen- 
dorff  and  Greenish,  and  the  alkaloid  from  this  source  was  shown  to 
be  mainly  brucine,  with  a  very  small  proportion  of  strychnine  mixed 
with  it.  As  brucine  has  the  same  physiological  effects  as  strychnine 
in  inducing  well-marked  tetanic  symptoms,  the  leaves  of  nux-vomica 
taken  in  sufficient  quantity  would  produce  poisonous  results.  Com- 
pared with  the  seeds,  the  leaves  contain  about  one-tenth  the  amount 
of  total  alkaloid,  but,  notwithstanding  the  smaller  proportion  of  bru- 
cine present,  the  leaves  would  be  highly  injurious  as  fodder,  and 
precautions  should  be  taken  in  keeping  cattle  from  feeding  upon 
them. — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Dec.  6,  1890,  p  493. 
SOME  NOTES  ON  NATAL  ALOES.1 
By  J.  Medley  Wood. 
As  the  Director  of  Kew  Gardens,  and  also  Mr.  Holmes,  of  the 
Pharmaceutical  Society's  Museum,  had  expressed  a  wish  for 
information  as  to  the  plant  from  which  Natal  aloes  had  been  made, 
and  for  any  information  I  could  obtain  on  the  subject,  I  decided  to 
relinquish  the  idea  of  proceeding  to  Drakensburg  for  my  annual 
botanizing  trip,  and  to  visit  the  neighborhood  of  Greytown  instead. 
From  this  place  some  years  ago  the  drug  was  exported  in  quantity, 
but  at  the  present  time  its  manufacture  appears  to  be  quite  discon- 
tinued, and  not  a  single  person  was  engaged  in  it  through  the  whole 
district,  as  far  as  I  could  learn.  I  was  also  informed  before  leaving 
Durban  that  the  aloe  plants  would  be  in  flower  about  the  middle  of 
April,  later  than  which  I  could  not  defer  my  journey.  This  informa- 
tion, however,  proved  incorrect,  as  I  could  not  find  a  single  plant 
either  in  flower  or  bud,  though  I  searched  carefully,  and  residents  in 
the  neighborhood  informed  me  that  the  flowers  would  not  appear 
=J  From  the  Kew  Bulletin,  August ;  reprinted  from  Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans., 
Dec.  6,  1890,  p.  495. 
