"^"'  june'ifso^''"'"}  Ethereal  Oil  of  California  Bay^  Tree.  3 1 5 
The  average  quantity  of  oil  removed  by  ether  being  about  12  per 
cent.,  we  may  reckon  the  amount  of  cantharidin  in  the  original  flies, 
not  extracted  by  ether  to  be  0723  per  cent.,  and  assuming  the  cantha- 
rides  to  have  been  equally  rich  in  cantharidin  with  the  first  sample  the 
amount  of  that  principle  extracted  by  ether  would  amount  to  only  0*023; 
per  cent. 
Manufacturing  druggists  would  do  well,  therefore,  to  turn  their 
attention  to  their  cantharides  residues,  especially  such  as  have  been, 
extracted  with  simple  solvents  (ether,  alcohol,  etc.),  in  which  salts  of 
cantharidin  are  insoluble.  The  marc,  for  instance,  from  tinct.  cantha- 
ridis  still  contains  a  considerable  proportion  of  cantharidin.  The  only 
English  price  list  at  my  disposal,  that  of  Messrs.  Southall  Brothers^ 
quotes  cantharidin  at  is.  per  grain,  and  leaves  no  doubt  of  the  profita- 
bility of  working  up  residues  containing  f  per  cent,  of  that  principle. 
That  other  species  of  cantharis  may  excel  cantharis  vesicatoria  with 
regard  to  the  amount  of  cantharidin  contained  in  them  is  shown  by 
the  estimation  of  a  sample  of  cantharis  adspersa  presented  to  the 
museum  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Institute  by  Professor  Arata,  of  Buenos 
Ayres.  Although  the  flies  arrived  mouldy  and  in  bad  condition  I  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  from  12*3195  grams  of  dry  insects  0'29i7  of  very 
nearly  pure  white  cantharidin;  correction  0*0256;  together  03173. 
gram;  equivalent  to  the  very  large  amount  of  2*573  P^^  cent. 
Noticeable  in  this  sample  and  in  the  first  sample  of  cantharis  vesicatoria 
is  the  comparatively  small  quantity  of  fixed  oil.  While  DragendorfF 
finds  as  an  average  in  good  cantharides  12  per  cent.,  I  have  obtained 
from  cantharis  vesicatoria  (approximately)  7*7  per  cent.,  and  cantharis 
adspersa  only  2*6  per  cent.  Possibly  the  weather  prevalent  during  the 
]ife  of  the  insect,  the  age  of  the  same,  etc.,  may  have  an  influence  on 
the  amount  of  oil  and  cantharidin. — Pharm.  Jour,  and  Trans. ^  March^ 
13,  1880. 
ETHEREAL  OIL  OF  CALIFORNIA  BAY  TREE. 
By  J.  M.  Stillman. 
The  California  bay  tree,  known  under  the  different  botanical  names 
of  Oreodaphne  Californica.^  Laurus  Californica^  Tetranthera^  and  latterly 
Vmbellaria  Californica.^  is  a  large  and  beautiful  evergreen  tree,  very 
common  to  the  valleys  and  water-courses  of  the  coast  mountains  of 
California.  It  often  attains  great  size,  and  its  timber  is  much  used 
under  the  name  of     California  laurel"  for  veneering  and  fine  cabinet 
