AVen,T8H73RM'}         Spirit  of  Nitrous  Ether,  etc.  67 
cimens  from  all  parts  of  the  island,*  it  likewise  presents  great  varia- 
tions, but  no  special  form  that  can  be  singled  out  as  deserving  the 
name  of  rotimdifolia,  or  even  that  can  be  recognized  as  par  excellence 
a  cultivated  variety.  It  is  true  that  the  tree  in  some  manna  planta- 
tions is  occasionally  grafted  ;  certain  trees  yielding  a  poor  supply  of 
saccharine  matter  being  thus  replaced  by  others  of  a  more  productive 
nature.  But  I  observed  no  grafting  at  Capaci  where  the  trees  are 
grown  like  coppice-oak  in  England,  and  where  such  a  plan  of  treat- 
ment would  therefore  be  hardly  worth  the  trouble. 
[The  paper  was  illustrated  by  several  samples  of  Calabrian  manna 
procured  at  Rossano,  Corigliano  and  Cosenza,  and  by  a  large  suite  of 
botanical  specimens  of  Fraxiinm  Omu$>  L.,  and  a  stem  of  the  latter 
showing  the  incisions  for  manna.] 
SPIRIT  OF  NITROUS  ETHER  A  SUPPOSED  TEST  FOR  SOME 
ALKALOIDS. 
By  John  M.  Maisch. 
About  a  year  ago  a  friend  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  observed  some 
reactions  of  quinia  and  cinchonia,  which  might  perhaps  be  valuable 
for  the  detection  of  these  and  other  alkaloids.    The  reaction  was 
described  as  follows  : 
44  Quinia  or  cinchonia,  to  which  some  sweet  spirit  of  nitre  and  a 
few  drops  of  ammonia  is  added,  produces  with  a  little  muriated  tinc- 
ture of  iron  a  red  color  similar,  to  that  formed  with  sulphocyanide  of 
potassium  and  iron.  Morphia  treated  in  the  same  way  produces  a 
beautiful  green  color.    Most  of  the  other  alkaloids  are  not  aifected." 
On  repeating  the  experiments  with  commercial  spirit  of  nitrous 
ether,  which  had  been  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  for  a  considerable 
time,  a  quinia  solution  assumed  the  red  color  described,  but  morphia 
solution  became  purple  instead  of  green.  On  the  addition  of  a  few 
drops  of  muriatic  acid,  the  red  quinia  solution  became  colorless,  while 
the  morphia  solution  assumed  a  blue  color,  the  characteristic  reaction 
of  morphia  and  ferric  chloride,  and  turned  green  on  the  further  addi- 
tion of  tincture  of  iron,  as  might  have  been  expected  from  mixing  a 
yellow  and  blue  liquid  which  do  not  chemically  react  upon  each 
other. 
*  Many  of  them  courteously  presented  to  me  by  Professor  Todaro,  of  the 
Botanical  Garden,  Palermo. 
