346  Coloring  Matter  in  Some  Borraginacecs.    { Am'J'i"^is^8arm' 
especially,  the  fluid  is  filtered  in  a  small  funnel  of  2  inches 
diameter,  a  filter  paper  being  used,  and  by  rapid  filtering  little  is 
absorbed.  A  folded  filter,  to  increase  the  speed  of  filtering,  is  not 
necessary,  sufficient  fluid  running  through  for  the  continuation  of 
the  test  by  tapping  the  funnel.  I  never  use  2  grammes  of  the  salt 
under  examination  and  20  c.c.  of  water,  as  I  do  not  require  this 
amount  of  fluid. 
Test-tubes  of  a  little  over  10  c.c.  capacity  on  foot,  and  divided  into 
y2  c.c,  are  kept  for  the  purpose  of  examining  quinine  sulphate  by 
Vierner's  process.  One  of  the  test-tubes  is  taken  and  5  c.c.  of  the 
aqueous  mixture  is  filtered  into  it;  4-5  c.c.  ammonia  of  096  added 
and  cooled  to  1 5-0  C,  this  amount  of  ammonia  being  all  that  was 
needed  to  obtain  a  very  nearly  clear  fluid,  as  the  result  of  the 
mixing  of  the  two  liquids. 
The  few  cheesy-like  flocks,  which  remained  suspended  in  the 
fluid,  a  peculiarity  of  this  test,  dissolved  entirely  after  the  addition 
of  another  05  c.c.  of  the  same  ammonia. 
I  have  been  very  particular  in  describing  the  above  details, 
because  this  Java  quinine  sulphate  is  hereby  proven  to  be  an  article 
of  unusual  excellence  and  much  purer  than  what  the  pharmacists 
in  the  United  States  are  getting.  In  its  fresh  state  it  was  found 
to  contain  14  per  cent,  water  of  crystallization. 
A  COLORING   MATTER  FOUND  IN  SOME 
BORRAGINACE.E.1 
By  J.  B.  S.  Norton. 
Some  time  last  summer  Mr.  J.  G.  Smith,  of  the  Division  of 
Agrostology,  sent  a  small  specimen  from  Grant  County,  New 
Mexico,  to  the  Missouri  Botanical  Garden  for  identification,  which 
I  decided  to  be  Plagiobothrys  Arizonicus,  Greene.  Mr.  Metcalfe, 
who  collected  the  plant,  says  that  "  when  the  sheep  find  a  patch  of 
it,  it  colors  their  heads  red  clear  to  their  ears."  The  herbage  of  the 
dried  plant  had  stained  the  letter  which  enclosed  it  a  violet  purple, 
something  like  wine  stains.  Mr.  A.  M.  Ferguson  tells  me  that  a 
plant  of  Western  Texas,  doubtless  also  some  species  of  Borraginacese, 
is  known  to  affect  sheep  in  a  similar  manner.  The  New  Mexican 
plant  is  known  there  as  blood  purslane,  says  Mr.  Smith,  in  a  recent 
letter,  and  is  fine  for  sheep  pasture  in  the  spring. 
1  Ninth  Annual  Report  of  Missouri  Botanical  Garden,  1S9S,  p.  149 
