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Musk

the odorous principle (ambreine). It is also easily punctured with a heated needle, and on withdrawing it not only should the odor be immediately evolved, but the needle should come out clean, without anything adhering to it. Ambergris is insoluble in water, but readily dissolves in hot alcohol. It is used in very small quantities; one ounce will suffice for 1,000 gallons of brandy. It combines its odor with any other perfume, and forms by each addition a new aroma, greatly exalting the odor of other substances. As a flavor, ambergris should never be used alone. The following makes a good aroma :-Digest for 15 days at a moderate heat 1 oz. of ambergris in 10 oz. spirit of rose, stir several times a day and filter in a covered funnel, pass over the residue 8 oz. spirit 50°. Before digesting the above ingredients, be careful and dilute your ambergris in a heated mortar, with alcohol. Ambergris is highly prized for its odor, which is peculiar, exceedingly diffusive, and perceptible in small quantities. A grain or two, when rubbed down with sugar and added to a hogshead of claret, is very perceptible in the wine, and gives it a bouquet, by some considered a great improvement. A new and expeditious way of dissolving ambergris, musk and civit, is to put over 1 oz. of either of them 4 oz. caustic potassa in powder, and afterwards add a little alcohol to dissolve it completely. Musk.

Musk is a secretion deposited in the prepuce of an animal inhabiting the mountains of Eastern Asia. It is imported from Bengal, China and Russia. That known as Tonquin musk is the most esteemed for its odor. The musk of the shops is generally adulterated. Dried bullock's blood or chocolate is commonly employed for this