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Civit

purpose, along with a little bone black. The extent of these additions varies from 25 to 75 per cent of the gross weight of the mixture. There are only three certain ways of detecting this fraud, viz., by the inferiority of the odor, by an assay of the iron contained in the blood, or by the microscope. The following mixture is a fine flavor, but must be used in small quantities :- Digest for 15 days at a strong heat, 1 oz. musk, 4 drachms vanilla, 2 " ambergris, in 12 oz. spirit 95°.

Stir several times each day, filter in a covered funnel, and pass over the residue the same quantity of spirits 50°. This is essence of musk. So diffusive is this aroma that the quantity given in the above recipe would be sufficient to flavor 2,000 gallons brandy.

Civit.

Civit is a perfume obtained from the civit cat, a small quadruped found in China, and the East and West Indies. The perfume is secreted into a cavity which opens between the anus and external genitals, and is collected from animals confined for that purpose. Civit is frequently adulterated with spermaceti, and butter, and a similar substance to civit obtained from the pole-cat. When pure it has an odor intermediate between that of musk and ambergris, but less refined. Civit is insoluble in water, and only slightly soluble in cold alcohol, but heated alcohol dissolves it almost entirely, depositing it again upon cooling. The tincture of civit is prepared precisely the same way as ambergris (see "Ambergris"), and is a powerfully diffusive flavor.