Am'octu^£6arm'}      Gleanings  from  Foreign  Journals.  491 
very  strong  solutions  of  them  giving  precipitates  with  caustic 
potash  and  soda  soluble  in  excess,  but  they  give  no  pricipitate  with 
ammonia. 
Ten  per  cent,  solutions  of  the  carbonates  of  potassium,  sodium  and 
ammonium,  or  of  the  iodide,  chromate  and  ferrocyanide  of  potassium 
give  no  precipitates ;  permanganate  of  potassium  is  almost  immediately 
reduced  by  it.  Picric  acid  gives  a  yellow  precipitate ;  chromic  acid  no 
precipitate.  Brought  in  contact  with  strong  nitric,  sulphuric  or  hy- 
drochloric acids  no  reaction  is  apparent. 
The  watery  solution  of  the  pure  base  gives  a  green  precipitate  with 
ferrous  sulphate,  a  black  precipitate  with  mercurous  nitrate,  and  a 
white  precipitate  with  mercuric  chloride. 
From  a  few  experiments  carried  out  in  the  physiological  laboratory 
of  University  College,  I  am  able  to  say  that  ulexine  acts  on  frogs  as 
a  paralyzing  agent,  causing  clonic  spasms ;  placed  on  the  tongue  the 
chloride  produced  a  slight  numbness  similar  to,  but  not  nearly  so  pow- 
erful as  cocaine.  Knowing  that  many  animals  feed  readily  on  the 
furze  plant,  it  may  be  inferred  that  the  alkaloid  is  not  of  a  powerful  or 
poisonous  nature ;  but  this  idea  must  not  be  too  hastily  accepted,  until 
we  obtain  precise  evidence  as  to  its  action,  for  we  know  that  some 
poisonous  plants  are  eaten  by  animals  without  ill  effect.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  my  observations  have  been  confined  to  the  seed ;  it 
yet  remains  to  be  proved  whether  other  parts  of  the  plant  contain  the 
same  active  principle,  and  I  am  continuing  my  work  in  that  direction 
— Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Aug.  7,  p.  101. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  FOREIGN  JOURNALS. 
By  Geo.  H.  Ochse,  Ph.G. 
Assay  of  Cinchona  Barks. — After  having  tried  the  various  processes 
for  assaying  cinchona  barks  since  1879,  Kaspar  (Schweiz.  Wochenschr. 
f.  Phar.,  1886,  No.  24)  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  success  depends  on 
the  alkali  used  to  precipitate  the  alkaloids,  the  time  allowed  for  sub- 
siding, and  the  choice  of  the  proper  solvent  for  dissolving  the  precipitate. 
To  exhaust  the  bark  some  use  acidulated  water ;  others  use  acidulated 
alcohol;  some  mix  the  bark  with  ammonia  or  caustic  soda  and  then 
extract  with  ether,  chloroform,  benzol  or  amylic  alcohol;  some  mix  the 
bark  with  lime  or  magnesia  and  water  and  evaporate  to  dryness  on  a 
water-bath,  then  exhausting  with  the  above  mentioned  solvents.  The 
