3  04  Several  Varieties  of  Wax.  { g^go""* 
8.  Cera  de  Orizaba;  also  from  the  Martiny  collection,  where  the 
following  note  is  appended  to  it  : 
Received  from  Schaffner,  with  the  remark  that  it  was  in  this  state 
offered  for  sale  by  the  Indians.     I  have  not  investigated  it  more  closely^ 
but  after  a  superficial  examination  1  take  it  for  a  vegetable  wax." 
The  examination  shows  it  to  be  a  Myrica  wax. 
9.  Cera  japonica ;  in  the  collection  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Institute 
usual  commercial  variety. 
10.  Cera  japonica-,   from  the  Martiny  collection  ;  similar  to  No.  9.. 
11.  Cera  from  Myrica  quercifolia  ;  also  from  the  Martiny  collection 
a  pale  green  mass,  tolerably  hard  and  easily  powdered. 
12.  Cera  from  Myrica  cerifera ;  from  the  Martiny  collection;  some- 
what darker  and  more  brittle  than  the  foregoing  sample. 
13.  Cera froin  Myrica?  (species  not  named);  from  the  Martiny 
collection;  similar  to  No.  12.  May  be  distinguished  from.  No.  11 
only  by  its  darker  green  color. 
14.  Cera  de  Bahia ;  also  from  the  Martiny  collection  ;•  very  hard 
giey  mass,  the  freshly  fractured  surface  greenish. 
15.  Cera  Brasiliensis ;  from  the  Martiny  collection;  light  yellowish 
mass,  brittle  and  easily  powdered. 
1 6.  Cera  e  Lac  in  hacuUs ;  also  from  the  Martiny  collection;  chocolate- 
brown  brittle  mass,  easily  powdered. 
17.  Carnauha  zuax ;  obtained  in  1878  from  Gehe  &  Co.,  in  Dres- 
den; similar  to  No.  15. 
Alcohol  (95  per  cent.)^  in  the  proportion  of  I  part  of  wax  to  lO  of 
alcohol,  dissolved  only  a  small  portion  of  the  samples  under  examina- 
tion. On  warming  to  the  boiling  point,  sample  No.  8  and  11  1013 
were  completely  dissolved,  whilst  with  samples  i  to  7  and  9  and  10^  the 
greater  patt  of  the  wax  melted  and  collected  in  the  form  or  an  oil  at 
the  bottom  of  the  test  tube.  With  No.  14  to  17  on  the  other  hand  the 
undissolved  portion  remained  as  a  powder.  Part  of  the  dissolved  wax 
separated  out  of  the  hot  solutions  on  cooling,  colorless. 
Alcoholic  solution  of  acetate  of  lead  gave  with  the  above  cooled  alco- 
holic solutions  of  samples  No.  i  to  13  and  16  a  cloudiness  which  on 
heating  to  boiling  completely  disappeared  in  Nos.  i,  2  and  6  to  13,  in 
Nos.  3  to  5  and  16  partially  only.  In  Nos.  14,  15  and  17  no  change 
was  caused  by  the  addition  of  the  acetate  of  lead  solution. 
1  Japanese  wax  dissolved  completely  on  boiling  with  a  larger  quantity  of  alcohol. 
