Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1886. 
Shellac. 
307 
translucent,  and  forms  a  yellowish-red,  neutral  solution.  The  tannic 
acid  of  E.  obliqua  differs  from  that  of  most  other  species  in  giving  a 
dark  violet  precipitate  with  solutions  of  ferric  salts.  The  number 
of  these  inspissated  juices  suitable  for  replacing  true  kino  in  phar- 
macy is  therefore  very  limited.  A  great  deal  of  other  interesting 
matter  is  contained  in  "  Eucalyptographia,"  under  different  species, 
such  as  the  use  of  the  acid  sap  of  E.  Gunnii  to  form  a  kind  of  cider, 
the  employment  of  the  roots  of  E.  mierotheca,  E.  oleosa,  and  E. 
populifolia  as  a  source  of  drinking  water  in  the  desert  land  where 
they  flourish,  the  manna  of  E.  viminalis,  and  the  value  of  the  rugged 
barked  variety  of  E.  leucoxylon  as  an  indication  of  gold-bearing  soil. 
Much  of  interest  for  the  botanist  will  be  found  in  the  details  con- 
cerning the  development  of  the  seedling  plants  and  the  structure  of 
fruit,  leaf,  flower,  wood  and  bark  ;  but  these  have  no  practical  bear- 
ings for  pure  pharmacy. — Phar.  Jour,  amd  Trans.,  April  24,  1886. 
SHELLAC. 
By  J.  Bosisto, 
Examiner  in  Materia  Medica  at  the  College  of  Pharmacy,  Melbourne. 
In  the  central  province  of  India,  especially  in  the  thick  jungles, 
the  coccus  lacca  insect  may  be  seen  dwelling  together  in  thick  set 
groups  on  the  branches  and  twigs  of  Zizyphus  jujuba,  Ficus  religiosa, 
Butea  frondosa,  besides  other  trees  and  shrubs  belonging  chiefly  to  the 
leguniinosa?  order.  Each  insect  incrusts  itself  over  with  a  resinous 
substance,  forming  within  a  cell  containing  larva?  and  a  deep  coloring 
matter,  the  dead  body  of  the  parent  being  itself  the  cell.  Hunelreds 
of  these  are  piled  together  adhering  to  a  twig,  and  in  this  condition  it 
is  termed  stick-lac,  and  contains  about  70  per  cent,  of  resin,  10  per 
-cent,  of  coloring  matter,  and  the  rest  debris. 
The  collecting  of  stick-lac  and  the  making  of  shellac,  button-lac, 
sheet-lac  and  lac  dye,  is  an  industry  carried  on  by  the  Hindoos  in  the 
districts  of  the  central  provinces.  In  order  to  obtain  the  largest,  quan- 
tity both  of  resin  and  coloring  matter,  the  stick-lac  is  collected  before 
the  larva?  emerge  from  the  cells,  else,  with  their  flight,  they  carry 
away  the  greater  part  of  the  dye  coloring. 
Since  the  advent  of  the  aniline  dyes,  lac  dye  is  but  little  in  demand. 
The  larva  is  allowed  to  mature,  as  it  dees  not  interfere  with  the  quality 
or  quantity  of  the  resin  portion.    It  is  chiefly  this  circumstance  that 
