States. About two hundred of the species studied have not yet yielded sapogenins in our extraction experiments. The steroidal sapogenins of determined structure from other laboratories and their sources are as follows Sapogenin Plant Chlorogenin Chlorogalum pomeridianum Kiinth8•9'10 Digitogenin Digitalis purpurea11-14 Diosgenin Dioscorea tokora Makino15 Gitogenin Chlorogalum pomeridianum Kunth10 Digitalis species13,16

Mares' Non-Pregnancy .Urine.-The butanol extract of 300 gallons of mares' non-pregnancy urine (previously hydrolyzed with hydrochloric acid) was hydrolyzed with an excess of aqueous potassium hydroxide solution. The neutral fraction was extracted with ether, which on evaporation yielded 209 g. of tarry residue. This residue was dissolved in a minimum amount of ethyl alcohol and treated with a 2% digitonin ethyl alcohol solution. On decomposition of the digitonide and sublimation of the residue under high vacuum at 130-140°, 0.34 g. of cholesterol was obtained, m. p. 144-146°. There was no depression in melting point when mixed with an authentic sample of cholesterol.

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In a recent communication1 we reported the successful conversion of sarsasapogenin to pregnanediol-3(a),20(a). The fact that this transformation can be accomplished by simple reactions in good yields makes sarsasapogenin one of the cheapest and most practical sources of pregnane derivatives from which it is possible to prepare progesterone, testosterone and desoxycor-

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Diosgenin, isolated by Tsukamoto from the roots of Dioscorea tokoro (Makino), has been shown to be a steroidal sapogenin of structure I.1,2,3,4 Recently sarsasapogenin was converted to progesterone.6,6 An easier route to progesterone starts from diosgenin.4 This suggested the desirability of finding an American source for diosgenin.